Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-04-20

5000. In addition he must have his
team. his small tools, his necessary
household equipment. To pay Tor MS
entire OUTFIT and his necessary seed
win REQUIRE from $1,000 to 1900,
and. Of course, he should have IN
hand a sufficient amount Of money
and a sufficient credit to enable him
To loaf until the first crops are har-
vested. Tho average farm consists OF
the l60-acre homestead, but already
the more prosperous settlers have be-
gun the purchase of neighboring
homcsteads ana the present tendency
is toward larger rather than towards
smaller farms. In the judgment a
the soil survey experts, an attempt to
farm much less than 100 acres, owing
to existing conditions. cannot be rec
commended in a creator part OF the
section. ana unless the section CON
sist~ of land which can be cultivated
throughout its extent an even greater
area Is necessary. Since his is q
homestead country, nearly all the
land Is titled BY the owners and the
renting of farm land has not yet ac-
quircd any large place in the farm
practice OF the region. The price OF
farm land, Of curse, varies with its
proximity 10 transportation incllities'
4 with the EliIfttitT Oh lDt ldAtf VIII
the amount of rainfall in the region,
and with tho availability OF all OF the
land for cultivation. In the more
sparsely settled districts good farm
ing land practically without improve
ments can stiil he purchased at $40 TO
$23 an acre. In the more desirable
locations unimproved sod land fire.
qucntly brings S25 to $50 per acre
while in the older settled districts
good farming land 1T a moderate dis
lance from towns and railroad tacili-
ties is not considered expensive at S35
to $50 per acre. depending upon loca-
ton and improvements.
The annual rainfall, except during
years of extremely low precipitation,
is ample Tor the needs of all the crops
produced, but ii is necessary to store
carefully for the use of the CROP all
the moisture which does fall upon the
soil. The failures to farm success
fully upon the lands Of this section
have been chiefly due to the employ
mont of methods suited only to more
humid regions, while the greatest
successes in agriculture have been at
tended by a careful adjustment OF the
methods of cultivation, involving VS.
tematlc rotation of crops. the use OF
drouth-resistant varieties of seed, and
the practice Of such methods Of TIL
age as tend to increase the capacity
of the soils for absorbing and storing
water for cro3 use.
Dry land farming under conditions
Of minimum rainfall differs so ma
terially from the methods ordinarily
employed in humid regions that the
new settler should familiariZe him
self with the very best methods for
the tillagc Of lands and for the pres
erVation of moisture. He should hold
in mind that the moisture stored in
the soil prior to the planting of the
crop is generally of greater benefit
to the growing crop than the hard
driving rains of summer showers. For
this reason the stubble land of the
previous year should be thoroughly
stored and loosened by the use of
the disk harrow. This can be rapidly
and cheaply done and 1t serves as an
efficient check upon the loss OF soil
moisture from the surface and at the
same time furnishing atpose, porous
surface layer which greAdily ahsorbs
the winter rainfall. ThrTflgh this ac-
tion the land is also more easily
plowed in the preparation for the
crop It Il later date.
Fall blowing is generally recon
mended, since it leaves the ground
rough during the winter, in n condi-
ton better suited TO catch ana retain
the rain ana snowfall. Not inire-
%quently, however, the ground does not
become sufficiently softencd in the
fall to permit OF blowing it at that
time. and then, OF course, spring
blowing is necessary. The shallow
blowing OF heavy sod land at first
breaking seems To be most generally
successful when new lands are being
broken. The sod Is turned over to
only a shallow depth and the tough
roots and stems Of the prairie grass
are left exposed TO the weather, re-
in the decomposition of the
organic matter. The best practice
usually follows with deeper blowing
by year until a desirable depth
of breaking is finally obtained.
The use of intertillcd crops also has
many things to recommend il. Where
the c%ultivator is ceaselessly run a dry
surface mulch is interposed between
the moist soil surrounding the plant
roots and The dr.. atmosphere. Then.
too, the intertilled crous frequently
provide moro shade to the surface of
the ground than do the cereal grains.
Both of these conditions tend TO
check the surface evaporation. In
cXtreme cases the practice Of sum-
mer following, If consistently carried
ont, serves to store a sufficient guam
tity of moisture TO produce an ex-
crop in tho succeeding year,
but merely leaving the LAND UNI
cropped without cultivation is pro-
tuctive of little, If my, beneficial re-
suit. summer following can scarce
y be afforded by the beginner in
agriculture In the plains region. He
must grow a crop the first year and
must Keep at it in order to meet
his payments and his annual cx-
lenses. Therefore. the intcrtillcd crop.
1t least over q considerable portion
IF his acreage. IS the most desirable.
ne for such crops potatoes and corn
the best suited to the region.
The North Dakota experiment sta
ion at Fargo has produced practic-
NY as much wheat during the four
ear period when three crops of
wheat were produced in rotation with
me crop of corn as could be secured
the land was consecutively
'ropped to wheat for the entire four
ears.
For the trial an experimentation in
best methods OF securing a stand,
ogcther with the use of only north
IN ggrown seed, will undoubtedly en-
bile North Dakota farmers to intro
and successiulI. extend the cul-
walton Of alfalfa. Inefficient prep