Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-10-21

tane Dry Farming CohSiS oS'
We have met here as delegates to
mic convention from several states
md nations with varied climatic and
aaricultural conditions for the pur-
nose of getting a broader vision of
,ho possibilities of dry farming. We
nav get this vision by studying the
notbods which have been developed
and the results obtained by others in
localities with which we are not IA
,,iliar. But in order to properly
,rterpret and profit by these results,
a Is necessary to get a fairly clear
knowledge of the conditions under
which the work was done. 1t is my
nurpose, therefore, in presenting this
suhiect to discuss %, the conditions
under which and (2), some Of the
most successful methods by which
drv farming is practiced in the wheat
belt of the Columbia river basin.
This great wheat belt includes L
norton of three states, Idaho Ore
gon and Washington. 1t is almost
surrounded by mountains, which
greatly modify the climate. The
Cascade mountains lie to the west;
the Occur d'Alene and Bitterroot
mountains to the east; the Okanogan
highlands to the north; and the Blue
mountains to the southeast. The
elevation above sea level varies from
two to four hundred feet along the
Columbia river to as much as 5000
feet at several points near the noun
tains. The moisture bearing winds
y are usually from the southwest. AS
they pass over the Cascade noun
tains they are depleted of much Of
their moisture. This gives much Of
the Columbia river valley in both
Oregon and Washington very dry
climate. The average annual precipi-
tatiOn along the Columbia river var
lea nun " ~ luCucS' HIS SIdu-
uslly increases with the distance
from the river until an annual rain
fall of "a or rs inches is reached in
some of the farming districts having
the greatest attitudes. A distance
OF only few miles frequently makes
great difference in the altitude and
precipitation and, therefore, in the
agricultural possibilities.
The distribution of the annual pre-
cpitation through the year has a very
marked influence upon the agricuI-
ture of any arid or semi-arid region.
Here in the Pacific Northwest our
wet season comes during November,
December, January and February,
the summer months being very dry.
In most localities the precipitation of
May is usually little more than that
OF either ApIIl or June. This type
OF rainfall is just the opposite of
that of the dry farming region east
of the Rocky mountains, On the
one hand it is quite well adapted to
the production of cereal crops, or
lGops which mature early in the sea-
TsOn. On the other, the long. dry,
summer season makes it difficult to|
grow cultivated crops instead of sum-
mer following This is especially
Asne in our dryer localities when the
fString and summer precipitation isl
below the normal.
Dry farming has been carried on
IN eastern Oregon and eastern Wash
llgon for 80 to 40 years. AS early
81 1889 there was one grist mill in
4 the Walla Walla valley, In 1866
4 there were five. That year the wheat
Yield of eastern Oregon and eastern
Washington, or the upper country"
is it was then called, was estimated
at one-half million bushels. Half of
this is said to have been raised n
Nalla Walla county. In the begin
ming only the creek bottoms and loot
MIL land were thought adapted to
8 cultivation. The completion of the
& Northern Pacific railway and the
oregon Short Line during the SOS
opened up transportation facilities and
gave the country its first great agri-
cultural impulse.
While the better and more humid
E localities were settled and brought
under cultivation first, the home
Neader pushed agriculture back into
Tue dry region so rapidly that dry
farming proper has been carried on
qulte extensively in the states of Ore
sOnand Washington for at least 25I
'ears' Beginning in those early days
win but few tools, the pillow and the
narrow, and a meager knowledge of
Ae laws and methods Of conserving
sui moisture, our farmers have de-
''oped step by step in the school of
Aperlence and efficient tillage meth