El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-12
Dominguez Tells Of Dry
Farming By tbs Mexicans
Address by Noted Mexican Agcuurst Before Del Rio Farmers

Sr. Zeferino Dominguez. the dry farm
ing and corn culture expert of Mexico.
delivered an address before the Val
Verde county farmers.
In his address the expert told of his
experiences in getting the people OF
Mexico TO believe he was of sound mind
when he began to advocate the princi-
pies of scientific soil culture by dry
farming He said that the indians VINO
were attempting to farm in his country
should not be blamed for not producing
much grain, for they knew none but the
most rudimen t2ry principles of agricuI-
ture He told of the success he is hay-
ing with indian Iaborers on his model
farm at Santa Maria, Coah.. south from
Del Rio. few miles on the Trevfno eS-
tate. Here he is demonstrating that
even with peOn labor. good yields can
be made in various crops If the scientific
principles OF soil culture and conserya-
ton Of the moisture are taught the
hands and practiced. His model farm
has been worked only five or six months
and yet the success Of his undertaking
IS evident to those who have visited the
estate. Commissioner of agriculture Ed
R. Kone was taken to inspect the farm
and he came back TO Del Rio amazed at
the work being carried on and the sue
cessful outcome of the experiments
Sr Dominique is providing Tor
great deal of this experimental and
demonstration work out of his own purse.
He get a great deal of pleasure out
of the work and the satisfaction that
comes TO one who has helped mis- broth
ers and made life more livable for them
and work more profitable, belongs TO
this teacher and expert.
Mexico's Corn.
His remarks about corn culture were
economic and opened the eyes or those
who attended the institute He told how
he came to be so interested in the pro-
duction of corn: how the very lie ana
independence of the republic or Mexico
depended upon the production or TINS
grain. The majority of the people lived
on corn and when the time came thal
they could not raise corn for the Keep
ing of life and body the people would
raise Il" He told that Iowa raised
more corn than the entire republic ana
that one Mexican state. If the land was
properly handled and cultivated scien-
tifically, should be able to raise enough
corn to provide the entire population Oh
Mexico. 1t was from an economic STAND
point that he first came to interest MINI
self.
He believed that the poor seed was
responsible for the light production 30
he mailed letter to 10000 corn ralsers
OF Mexico asking them to send him sam
pies OF the seed they were planting.
No response came to this letter, SO ne
mailed another offering to pay them Tor
the seed and also the transportation
charges to his office. This letter
brought the seed. These seed he rested
under various methods and after a most
exhaustive study and test he announced
the result of his work This caused the
people of Mexico to awake ana II
brought them to realization of the fact
that thousands of acres of corn lana
was raising nothing through poor SEED
that would NOT terminate. In some states
ST.. DomingueZ discovered that out OF
every 100 kernels planted 81 never came
up, and the percent in one state was
as little as Is of nongerminating seed
The average for the country was in the
forties.
Poor Seed Mt Fault.
This address Will have a decided effect
upon the dry farming development IN
this section, as we'll as awakening some
of the corn raisers about here to the
fact that possibly. and probably, they
are losing as much from poor seed as
their brothers across the Rio Grande
ST. Dominique will be invited 10 ad-
dress our people often for his knowledge
and practical principles are becoming
known throughout not only his own
country, but in the United States
The first meeting of the Del Rio
Farmers institute viii have a great ef-
feet upon the acreage and the cultiya-
ton Of dry farmed land in this county
In addition to the address of Sr. DoInin-
guez. ]. w. Nein. director OF farmers
institutes for Texas made a lengthy talk
on the conservation Of moisture in the