El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-23


many sections of Utah and Idaho
r. Branagh was living in southern
California and he tried the dry farm
methods. He had the same experience
as others If there was enough rain in
the winter and the rains came early
enough in the summer, he made good
crops, but when this was not the case.
ne made nothing He gave it a thorough
trial For years he Iabered and for
years he had varying experiences, but
on the whole he had not made a sue
cess or dry farming" Further north.
where they had winter SHOWS, the dry
farmers" we're praiSing the discoverer
or scientific soil culture" but all
around him Branagh heard the same
experiences as his own Then he heard
that 1t rained more in northern Mexico
than it did in southern California. and
he moved to Sonora, near Cananea. but
ne found practically the same condi-
lions Then he began his own expert
ments. He decided to try a new tack
Branagh's Discovery.
He knew that only certain crops
would grow in a few months. but he
selected some of these for his experi
menf-thOse that he believed would
grow easiest and net the most money.
lie procured summer wheat he got
some frIjole seed (Mexican beans, al
ways marketable at good price,, and
ne secured sorghum, milo maize and a
rev other crops that will mature quick
~ and he sat down that winter and let
his land alone. He pillow ed it and when
IL ra1ned, after the ground had begun
10 dry, ne narrowed it, but he was not
doing 1t to hold the moisture He was
getting as much moisture into it as
possible merely TO pulverize the earth:
that was all. He paid little attention TO
the land except to keep the surface in
such condition that il would receive
any rain that fell so that the bie
clodS would be pulveriZed. Then in the
spring when the winter rains had
ceased, if there had been anv-if NOT
he did 1t anyhow-he plowed his ground
and left 1t open to dry. He let it get
as dry as floor, the dryer the better
In the past he had planted his seed AT
this time If he had any moisture at
all; sometimes there was just enough
10 rot the seed and spoil them: again
there was enough to bring up the
seed and often the young plants would
ole before the summer rains.
Sometimes the summer rains would
come early and he would make a
good crop. for he could always count
on the June or July rains, generally
July. But with his new experiment he
wanted to get all the moisture out of
the ground; he had a scheme of his eTTA.
As the hot sun beat down upon the
land, it got dryer and dryer, and Bra
nagh smiled as he worked as a day
labOrer at whatever he could get to do
TO make living for his family. Then
along about the middle of June, Bra
nagh went out, plOwed burrows in that
dry ground and planted his seed. The
natives wagged their heads and said
softly, loco which. translated out of
pigeon Spanish, means crazy" But
Branagh had an inspiration; all inven-
tors are branded as loco" until they
perfect their work; then they become
great.
The Planting.
BY the first of July Branagh had
planted his frijoles. his kaffir corn. his
milo maize, his summer wheat and his
sorghum. in that dry soil When the
July rains set in, the freshly plowe
ground-which he had narrowed and
smoothed after the planting, drank up
the rain like a sponge. Then Branagh
went over it with the harrow again to
break up the top and keep the moisture
from escaping. He wanted to hold all
he could get now. In few days his
fields were green. The seed had been
perfectly preserved in that hot, dry
ground; they were hot when the rains
fell and 1t took only few hours for
them to sprout and come up. Rain fol-
lowed rain, and Branagh followed each
summer doMnpOur with his harrow-as1
soon as the ground had dried-and the
plants began TO spring up under the
warm summer sun and grow like the
proverbial bay tree
In short, the rains continued and at
the first of September Branagh har-
vested the biggest dry farm" crop he
had ever made. He found a ready mar
ket for his frijoles; his wheat made
bread for the family for the winter. with
some to spare, and the forage crops he
stored in his barn were sufficient to
keep the COWS and horses through the
winter and more This was six years
ago. Every year since that time Bra
nagh has prepared his ground in the
same manner and every year he has
made crop. The rains always fall in