The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-11-10

Thers are -arT vho Go 10. CO..
ce,le anything rev 81 What Is called
-dry farming D.. there seems 20 b
s-c-zh Eew "a u 70 transform uIuic1s
up1z Millions CO acres o. lad that
vas c1ce considered ze1t % Useless
into the most highly prod1rtivs Eheat
lzrt II the Eo-ls- There - 70 co1bt
out that the idea had an empirical
rather thon . scientific origin as przc-
iice Usually prscetss scientific IL
terp-stattor- TIE practice % cultfva.
tion for the productioZ ot prolific
crops ard FOR TIE destruction o. weeds
stood Il good esteem lorg before the
term dry farming vzs heard. bat
cultivation had quite = diEereut sig
ri9eance. being synonymous with gen
erzl fertility. the scientific reason for
which vas not well understood. Il
vas thought that the changing of soil
particles made q greater store o. plant
food available to the plant. whose post
ton vas f1ed. but Il vas not under
stood that cultivation Eas putting the
Id OF against free evap5ratioa and
hence vas q limiting % the upward
travelling Of moisture With all It's store
o. plant food
The central idea Of the practice of
dry farming Il capillary attraction.
The opponents o, the dry farming sys-
ten. since the underlying science ot
the art has become known. have been
favorable 20 changing the name o.
the practice 20 scientific soil culture
but as its central idea IS moisture con
Eeryation and economy. and the prac-
tice pcesumes the need % such econ
cmy. IL Is not wholly inappropriate
that the original title should Be al
lowed TO stick.
Almost coiDcident With the dry
farming movement came the diffusion
OF the knowledge % nitrogen forming
bacteria and hence the need o. a good
condition of porosity In the soil %
allow a free circulation % air 10 the
roots Of the plant This has been IN
cCrporated into the body Cf science
which constitutes the rationale % dry
farming practices
There are a number Of minor prac-
physical sort For example. deep
ploving increases the moisture receiv-
ing power OF volume of the soil The
texture Of soil should be improved b.
the use Of the subsurface packer By
which capillary connection is secured
after II has been rudely broken By the
furrOv A broken under-sOil is fatal
to moisture conservation, or at least
10 proper moisture conditions in the
loot area OF the soil The avoidance
Of water waste through the growth OF
weeds is another simple rule. and thin
seeding is Imperative. Where uois-
ture supply is very light II Is also
found advisable TO use two years
moisture for a single crop. and in the
best of conditions three years mois-
ture for two crops.
II Is but natural that the study Of
crops and varieties Of plants suited
TO dry farm culture should become
part OF the interest and activity OF the
dry farming expert The developing
OF plants OF heavy feeding capacity
through large root systems will nat
urally follow from the recognized need
Of selecting deep feeding plants Right
now there is a chance for the invest
gator 10 explain the 81 bushel wheat
fields In Alberta. Dry farming re
suits have not simply demonstrated
that what were called dry lands are
useful. but that in crop production
they have surpassed lands that have
hitherto been looked upon as being
altogether more favorably situated for
practically all kinds OF crop pr0duc-
ton. II looks as though the concen-
trated soil solution vas away ahead
Of the much diluted one. and moreover
II should seem reasonable 10 expect
that paralleling the results obtained
in the production OF the highest types
and varieties In animal biology By
concentrated foods TIE practice Of dry
farming viii contribute correspond
iugly high plant products 10 general
agriculture
Il does seen as though the latest
and best voTd spoken In agricultural
science Efl be spoken By the dry
farming exponent, or al least the dry
farming exponent Is doing his part In
bringing into wider ken vhat the IN,
yestigators are finding, and 50 making
farm practice better By the light Of
science