The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-03-07
BIG CROPS POSSIBLE.
Conservation of Moisture Is
Placed Ahead of irrigation.
Dry Farming 10 Most Important Issue,
Says Prof. characterization, FaL
lowing and Scientific CuItivs-
ton Productive.

w est today" recently declared fIU-
Thomas Shaw, who was in Central 4
Oregon recently investigating condi-
tons relating to that particular Z
branch of agriculture. Professor Shaw {
has been at the head Of the depart
ment of animal husbandry at the Uni
versty OF Minnesota since 1893. and
is the author OF numerous books on
various phases OF scientific farming
In comparison With dry farming
The mining industry, important as 1t
Ia. dwtndles into insignifcance," Prof.
Shaw continued. The problem OF ir-
rigauon is great, yet when irrigation
has done the best it can do, not more
than per cent of the arid land In the
West can be affected All OF the re-
naming portion, excluding forest
areas, must be made to produce crops
with dry farming methods.
"Conservationists should devote
some of their time and energy to the
conservation Of moisture In the SOIL |
The value of the rain that falls during |
April. May, June and July on the |
lands of the semi-arid West. If prop |
erly conserved, is more than that OF
all the. other material interests COM
bined'
Professor Shaw said that his expe-
rience had shown that good crops OF
all kinds Of grain and some vegetables
can be obtained on summerIailo"eo
land. properly prepared. in seasons OF
unusual drought, and that very large
Yields may be grown IN a season when
the rainfall is more than normal. On
account of the more open character
Of bench lands. such areas have pro-
duced more heavily than the lands be-
side the streams, he said. He referr-
ed to the record of the bench lands IN
Montana, to illustrate this point:
1T is hazardous, he continued, in
pointing out the methods of dry farm
ing that will not succeed, TO grow
crop of grain in these bench lands,
when they have been plowed in the
spring and the crop sown the same
season II the season should prove
moist a good crop may result, but II
, 1t should prove dry it will assuredly
fail. and the failure may be complete
l He said that the experiment had
: taught him that lands devoted to
cultivated crop could be followed with
a cereal crop with fair return to the
! grower The process OF cultivation
under this method, he pointed out, wa:
$ not far different from that employed
3 when cultivating the summer fallow
g The difference came in the subtrac
< ton of moisture from the soil whel
9 cd
l. question whether enough moistur
s. would remain to assure fair GRO
9 has been brought up, but Professo
Shaw said that at the experiment sts
IS lions he had grown spring wheat c
10 the durum variety after corn, Will
l beside them we're wheat plats starte
IL after the bare fallow. In every il
"a stance the wheat was stronger an
y more promising after the corn tina
2. after the bare fallow. He said tn;
the explanation of this apparel
phenomenon was difficult, but accoun
ed for it in the fact that the GUILTY.
10 ton of the corn probably stirred II
soil more deeply than the harrow use
H. In the summer fallow. thus liberatiI
more soil fertility.
The crops that may be grown (
dry farming lands may be divided in
three clasSeS-cereals, cultivate
crops and alfalfa" he said. Amor
the cereals winter wheat is beyond
comparison the most important, I
the reason that it is the surest CT
that may be grown and that 1t is
the highest money value because
the large yields obtained. Some are
have grown so bushels to the &C
N The average yield is not less than
" bushels. Duran wheat is, next to "
N ter wheat, the best money crop Il
can be grown. 1t will not bring
high price in the market, but it v
.. more than Offset the lack in this
M, spect by the increased yield
mn. The third crop in money value
ed fax. This is better adapted to spr
wo- breaking than any other crop. Spe
ak barley and oats have also been S
III cessful as spring crops Both spt
AL and white hulleSs barley mature eal
80 and this means that they are less
,en able to be injured than some OF
and crops by the dry weather that usu'
OF accompanies bue VI 81
has The cat crop calls for more moist
zen. than any of these.
80 THE cultivated crops that may
Tho grown are corn, potatoes. beans
any field roots OF these, corn for fod
to Is by far the most valuable and
the portant This will be the great CT
In waited crop of the dry country UP
an elevation of 1000 feet
ance The great reliance for forage
raw be alfalfa. The farmer in the
sue country must depend more upon
, ~ "a falfa for hay than any other croI
her can be grown on nearly all the be
,relv land country susceptible of cultivai
be From one to one and half tons
,ner- acre may be grown each year. an
MIS- moist seasons even large crops
A'''An be obtained
Professor Shaw has made 81
ave of the rotation of crops so as TO
,agc tain the best results. and has rea'
for the conclusion that q part of e