The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-08-18
VALUE OF MOISTURE
Rain and Snow That Fall Should
Be Carefully Conserved.
Almost impossible to Impress Upon
Minds Of Farmers Importance Of
Giving Most Careful Atten.
ton to This Question.


In the dry areas moisture is always
precious The amount of moisture
that falls in the form of rain is always
or nearly always low. BY no means
that man can adopt can 1t be In
creased. The only thing that can
be done is to adopt measures that will
make falls go further than 1t would
II 1t were not carefully considered in
order to grow crops. Notwithstanding
this fact, II Is almost impossible to
Impress upon the minds Of many
farmers the Importance of giving the
most careful attention to this ques-
ton.
In Montana the present season large
quantities of prairie are being broken.
In many instances the land thus
broken is left as the pillow left IL 1t
has been turned over and It may be
In way that leaves It lying loosely,
says Dakota Farmer II left thus
through the summer season It will
dry out so completely that no mois-
ture will be left. Should winter
wheat be sowed on that land, the
moisture is not there to terminate 1t
or to sustain termination II 1t should
start Grain starting thus weakly is
sure to succumb In the winter that
follows. Should no grain be sown
until spring. the ground has Just that
much less moisture that 1t would have
had by the amount that was lost And
yet this is what very many are doing,
Il may be that some are constrained to
do this by force Of circumstances. as
when they hire the breaking done by
steam power and leave the land lying
thus. 1t may be that they do not
End II possible to get the land com
pressed at once, and dust mulch
made upon 1t.
The question of narrowing grain is
also one of the greatest Importance to
the farmer In the dry country. This
Is great question. We have only
touched upon its outer rim. In some
Instances one narrowing may make
more of difference than can we'll be
Imagined. In other instances 1t may
| DO harm. In the dry country from one
10 two borrowings are nearly always
helpful to a grain crop. In some in
| stances from three to four may do
good. In the case of winter wheat
one to two borrowings may be benefi-
rial in the autumn. and from one to
three in the spring. II but two har.
rowings are done in the spring. let 1t
be understood that, as a rule, one can
best be given when the crop can first
be discerned coming through the
ground, and the other after the plants
| are several inches high. But no cast
iron rules can be given. A heavy rain
falling may call for narrowing at some
different time. The conditions also
may call for the use of different kind
Of harrow. The dry farmer Is not
equipped for his work with only one
harrow. The harrow that is suitable
Tor one kind of soil and condition is
not suitable. 1t may be. for another
kind OF soil or a different condition.
Nor is the farmer in the dry coun-
try properly equipped for his work
without roller. In some instances
he may want a subsurface packer. In
other instances he will want CORFU
gated roller, and yet again a plain
roller. These three may not always
be wanted on the same farm, but In
the dry country they all have a place
according to the conditions.
Each farmer should have some kind
of clod crusher. 1t may be of va
rious forms, but usually 1t may be
homemade and. therefore, cheaply
made. The idea is to have something
that will crush clods. In lands that
are more or less adobe In character,
such an implement If 1t can be called
an implement, is of immense value.
Both the roller and clod crusher are