Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-08-26
Some Recent Results from Dry Farm
ing Investigations in Washington.

a DSllSI uuuSiSl duuluB VI llS re-
lation OF soil moisture TO our crop
production is one of the most press
ing needs of modern agriculture. This
is true not only in those regions
| where scanty rainfall makes the most
careful methods of tillage an abso-
lutte necessity tor successful farming,
out almost equally 50 IN districts
where the average annual rainfall is
sufficient for large crops but where
inopportune dry spells frequently
cut short the crop, and in irrigated
sections where excessive use OF water
is eXhausting son fertility or accumu-
laLlng "aIkah il injurious proper
tiOns.
The methods of cultivation which
viii best conserve ana utilize soil
moisture are being rapidly worked
out, DOtn BY the so-called dry farm
ING specialists ana by farmers them
selves. The improved methods thus
/ devised have made possible an enor-
nous extension oil the areas OF agri-
| cultural lanus into what was, when
we STUDIED geography IN our Uoyhood
school days, the Great American
Desert. TOO much emphasis cannot
! De laid upon the economic import
ance OF this great development in ag-
Icultural science and practice, known
| as dry farming. ! his great congress Is
but fitting monum ent to the sue
cesses that have been attained ana
milestone OF progress, from which
the movement is to 80 ON to still
greater achievement.
1t is neither my desire or my pur-
pose in this paper to discourage CON
tinued efforts 10 develop better meth
DDS OF tillage and to extend the areas
of dry farming TO the very widest
extent, but it is my intention to sound
what our experience OF the last two
years leads me TO believe is a timely
note Of warning 1t is d fact recog-
nized by every student OF history and
of human psychology that u en- are
wont to go with the crowd" or act
upon impulse. This is especially true
OF farming people. Every agrIcultur-
al community has its history OF OFT
repeated changes from one main crop
or one system OF farm practice to
another. Let any one farm crop, or
any particular breed Of livestock
command a relatively high price for
two or three years III succession and
almost unanimously the farmers will
turn their efforts largely, ii not ex-
clusiyely, TO the production OF this
profitable article OF commerce, with
the result that soon the market be-
comes fully supplied or oVerstocked
and the temporarily high prices de-
cline. Some other crop becomes
more profitable and the pendulum |
Of production swings in its direction. |
l would not for a moment ueCry any /
attempt on the part of our farmers |
to produce the thing which the mar
ket demands or needs, but | am anX-
ious for the time to come when the |
methods OF farm practice to be adopt |
ed in any given community shall be
determined by careful consider
sucation and accurate knowledge |
OF the principles which control the |
successful operation of that partic- |
uIar phase of farm operations rather |
than by the unstable fluctuations of
market conditions.
Applying this to the "dry-farm-
ing situation l believe that the fur
Their extension of dry farming areas
and practices must be based on a
thorough understanding of underly-
ing principles if it is to be perma-
nently successful. The actual prac-
teal methods of tillage which viii
best conserve and utilize the supply
of moisture which is available in
any given locality are being careful |
ly studied and in successful operation
over immense areas. But there is a
very real danger that the present
tide of popular enthusiasm in and for
dry farming" will result in attempts
to extend these areas far beyond
the limits to which results of former
studies will apply.
With this conception of the pres
ent situation, we have organized at
he State Agricultural Experiment
Station of Washington a division of
our agricultural department which
is to study exclusively the problems
of soil moisture, tillage, etc, which
are fundamental to methods Of farm
ing with limited rainfall.
In the organization of this work
two main problems Immediately pre-
scented themselves as needing care
full study. First, there was a very APP
parent need for q series of inTpctipa