The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1910-02-18
HORTICULTURE
How @ Make Trees Grew BY tie
Scientific Dry Farming
Method.

~ SsSsAso0ss " SeskA@ - sess otAuCu
Of dry farming are estrsmsly simple and
|, easy TO uuderssapd. Thy are:
Never 10 plant res astil Their is enough
moisture in the ground % carry i, whole
season. whether j, rains Or not
t. plant far enough apart so that The
precipitation falling On the area allowed to
each Tree gill be more than sufficient for
the uses OF that tree wheo full grown.
To accumulate and conserve The moisture
IS II falls BY the requisite working of the
soil
In choosing site for the orchard the
most imporiasi Item to be considered is
good. deep soil either sandy or clay loan.
anvshing in fac, that gill raise good. osdi-
nary crops without any rock or very solid
hard pan u less than 10 feet. although SIX
is sufficient for cherries and small fruits.
Some protection from the prevailing
winds is advisable. although pc find orch
ards doing vell vi,h every variety Of expos
ure. Many horiicultutisss favor . gentle
slope facing the south and east, rather than
the north and vest.
Lasd that has besn plowsd for year ~
two is preferable 10 newly plowed sod. for
the reason that fsS can break the sod rs
deeply ~ necessary. Of work /, up fine
enough to Be properly cultivated Another
objection is that il any cod. manure or litter
Of say description is tampsd in aroud the
roots Of tree h cannot dssw punishment
from the coil and will probably die.
The first sasment Of succsss mentioned
above is 70 sscuss esoush moisture for .
whole season before sstnaG The trees.
ibis is done By plowingS ysar ahead Of
liNe ead clean fallovieg tae land until
plspdsG time. The glowing should be
3ons il lands % IS to bring sseh dsa.t
Iuf.ev where . row 81 Tres i 10 be. We
10 this ~ n 10 dish the s~vtaee Of The
,reo.. 4 Inward eseh rev IT ssse., ia order |
Ina. in case Of heavy rains creating ris,on'
the excess Of moisture may 20 righ, to their |
roots.
The best time to plant 10 the fall and al |
lowed to fill up with snow and slush all
winter, and il will usually be found by
planting time tbs. the moisture has pene
trated to depth Of four or tive feet below
the bottom Of the hole. aud from two 10
four feet on the level. between the dead
burrows With proper cultivation this is
quite sufficient to insure the trees against
any drouth that comes in the fall and .
stormy winter like tho P-eatatI the soil may
carry enough moisture to insure the life and
growth Of the trees without any previous
following. and in such case whole year
can be saved. but no tree should be plant
ed unless there Is At least two feet Of moist
earth from the surface down. about ~ per
cen, that will hall readily when squeezed
in the hand.
The best trees to plant are those that we
are sure have never been irrigated. Those
tina. stand the hot and cold winters OF the
vest are not the trees Of the extreme north,
but those that are used TO extremes Of tenn
perature and can pass the warm spells
without raising to much sap or swelling the
buds. These come from Kansas. Southern
Illinois and. preferably. Missouri.
Apple trees should be planted 20 feet
apart. cherries and plums 90 feet and small
fruits 10 feet. These distances are the Re.
suit Of careful calculations based % prac.
,ical experience Of as years. Of the amount
Of moisture required bv the tree in qpesiior
when full grown. allo wing small surplus
to the good. with an average precipitaiior
Of "a 1918 inches.
| Not only with trees. but in all branches
OF dry farming. plenty Of area means plent'
of moisture. When the trees are young ]
is impossible for them to use up all thi
moisture. for ,earling apple tree oni.
needs few hundred pounds. whereas OF
an area 20 feet square we get about 90 ton
per annum. The surplus no. being used Vi
and evaporation being more or less proven,
ed by the mulch. this excess is stored u
the subsoil which becomes moist deepe
and deeper with each succeeding year. Pre-
viding supply always ahead Of the demand
4 Thus. as far as the orchard in concerned
we care NOT whether dry year comes c
!. not. for the trees are not dependent on th
moisture Of any one season. but on %
average Of all the season since IL was plan
ed.
1, OF late years the conservation OF m"is
IRE has been insisted upon As the one e
sential Of dry farming. but the accamulatio
Of moisture is equally important. for ho'
can We conserve what We have not 90
For instance. Il ve cultivate an orchard I
anything else. corn for instance. mp an
down the slope. we are simply leaving
lot Of small burrows to carry the, rune
. down hill. to wash out our orchard N
carry Oh the top soil. The orchard shou
be cul,iva,sd both ways in order TO thsous