Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-15

q pocket fnli of dry farming litera-
ture. He has the bulletins Of the
Dry Farming Congress; he has the
works Of those authorities who are
pioneers in the movement.
Their disastrous experience IN tlo
fall Of 1900 has taught them the
stern necessity OF knowing how 10
farm the land; that slovenly farming
VIII not do; hat rainbelt mcthoCs
viii not do: that special methods 81
soil culture and care Imperative to
success in dry farming must he
studied and understood. They haze
learned, moreover, that one must
know not only how TO prepare ann iii
the soil, but what to plant and when
to plant it. The drouth OF 1908 was
q more or less disastrous experience
for New MeXico's dry farming districts
and q bitter personal experience for
homeseckers. f;ut il was the biggest
boost for the successful development
of II dry farming districts those
districts haVe ever had, for II taught
the farmers themselves the rigid
necessity that they know how. More
people with ~ least a theoretical
knowledge Of dry farming have come
into New Mexico during the spring If
1910 than in all the previous years OF
heavy immigration 10 these lands.
Learned BY Experience.
The most successful Of our dry
farmers had to learn their lessons
alone. in the fields; some of them by
some very hard knocks. To those who
have been in close touch with the sit
uation in these districts the most re-
markablc thing OF all is the compara-
lively small percentage of absolute
failures and the remarkably large
percentage of unusual successes. 1t Is
barely six years since dry FARMING
was introduced in New Mexico. The
least conservative had considered ten
years the shortest possible period for
experiment and test. Yet already we
have n dozen husky young towns n
ing from 1000 to $500 population,
built up entirely by their surrounding
dry farming districts, and Il great
many prosperous villages. Thousands
Of acres have been brought under sue
ccssful cultivation and hundreds of
men who came To New Mexico with
little more in their pockets than the
fees necessary to file on the land now
have bank accounts which they are
increasing every year, drouth or no
drouth. These are the men who have
learned how to dry farm.
There has never been n more con-
vineing demonstration Of good Ameri-
can pluck, and at the same time Of
faith in . new country than is given
in the return of the homeseckcrs this
spring who were forced to leave in
the fan Of 1909. Most of them have
because they were convinced
the fault vas not 90 much with
the country MS with their lack
of knowledge and equipment.
The drouth of 1909, therefore
taught us some very useful lessons.
First and foremost IL taught rs the
need Ia know how. Second. II Taught
us that we have some districts, which
In tho present development of our
knowledge of the industry, can
be successfully dry farmed. This
latter lesson will take care Of itself. |
After we have developed more drouth
resistant crops; after We haVe earned
/, little more OF soil moisture and mois
lure conservation much of the land
these districts will be added to our
dry farming area. In the meantime
we have q proved dry farming area
is enormous II which VIII
care of the immigration for some
years to come. The vital lesson be-
us is to learn how. This lesson
earned n New Mexico, in addition
o its great %irriGable area. VIII have
IN AGRICULTURAL asset which will place
t on q rival basis with oklahoma and
Kansas. There is no more doubt or the
of dry farming in this territory
han there is of tho need for more
and to farm. 1t is merely a pues-
ion of when and how O We learn
O make the best use of the great do
main where dry farming has beer
.ucccssfullv demonstrated.
Mr.. Burns Bi-MonthIy Publication
Probably the greatest agency to this
nd. next to the keen insight Of the
vcragc American into his WI needs,
8 the Dry Farming Congress. There
re hundreds of men in New Mexico
oday receiving the Dry Farming Con-
,ress bulletins who never heard OF
lrv farming until they filed on q
here. From these bulle-
ms, every one of them, they gather
iome helpful hint; some bit of knowl-
,dge that is of practical advantage IN
field. The congress stimulates dis
ussion; II encourages experiment ana
est and in so doing it is proving the
agency for the permanence
nd speedy development Of dry farm
ne lands not only in New Mexico but
he Scml-arld west.
New Mexico is particularly iOrtu-
ate in having an experimental agen-
V of its own which will produce far
eaching results during the next Few
ears. Tho Santa Fe railway. %realiZ-
ng fully that permanent development
emands thorough knowledge as lie {
oundation. placed an agricultural l
cmonstrator in the field. They chose
,r the position. J.. j. Tinslcy. for .
ono years soil ana field expert with 1
he New Mexico Agricultural college,
Of the first experts on dry farm I
~ in the country. No better choice Z
Guild have been made for Mr.. Tinslcy q
OF only knows his dry farming, but !
is New Mexico as well. He is or c
farmers Institutes in every I
" farming district. lie is conduct b
" exhaustive trials with many varic- I
OF crops. lie is taking careful S
otes of results. He Is encouraging r
lc interest in education and expert 4
tent and test az no other influence h
puld have done. Two years of this 5
ork will demonstrate with practical b
nalitv the limits of New MeXico'. Il
~ farming area. Those years will q
+, much more. however, for they VIII b
,monstrate the crops best adapted to II
lr conditions, how best To plant and C.
II them ana when to do IL. Win ~
leSe lessons learned the industry &
ere will be on Q permanent basis II
Id its real development viii begin. p