The Raymer enterprise., 1911-03-09
TO RETAIN MOISTURE
Necessary to Conserve Sufficient
Water Supply.

Deficiency Of Rainfall During Past Sea-
son Should Teach Farmers Great
Value Of Disk Harrow for Pre-
pairing Soil for Dry Year.
AS the active operations Of another
season end on the farm. the former
should not consider all his duties done
until he has reviewed in his mind or
from his notes, the lessons he had
placed before him the past year. The
Indifferent and careless farmer may
think the problems presented are the
same every year and that he learned
them all years ago, writes R. B. Kest-
Ter of Ohio In the Orange Judd
Farmer. This farmer never makes
any money. and is always telling his
family and neighbors that there's
nothin' doin in farmin' anyhow"
The school-teacher observes that
The pupils who most readily grasp
and learn the underlying principles
are the ones who can most fully mas.
ter the subject and solve the different
problems when presented In different
form. But the ones who neglect to
master these few underlying princi.
pies find In each new problem the
same discouraging difficulty. So 1t is
with the farmer. Yet nature Is al.
ways presenting to the studious farm.
er, plain, practical lessons with the
answers at the end of the season, like
an arithmetic with the answers in the
back of the book. But SO often the
farmer forgets both the lesson and
the answer, and, like the dullard
schoolboy again. begins the same
place in the book this year that he be-
gan last year.
One lesson nature presents every
year and insists upon its being
learned Is that since moisture Is nee
essary for the growth Of plants, 1t Is
possible for the farmer. by right cul
tural methods. to conserve a sufficient
moisture supply for the ordinary sum
mer crop even without the summer
shower.
In many parts Of the country the
past season. like the two preceding
years, there was a deficiency In rain
fall and many farmers place the re
sponsibility for poor crops upon Provi
dence, not noticing that the samt
Providence dealt lavishly with tht
neighbor across the way. The oh
serving neighbor had learned year.
ago that a soil filled with humus
plowed deep. thoroughly and contin
uously cultivated would retain mois
ture through long. dry season ant
produce crop.
The wheat crop Is made or marret
before snow falls the autumn 1t 1.
sown. If the ground Is plowed wher
too dry. the wheat sown in the dus
and a deficiency OF moisture follows
the crop will in all probability be light
| saw a 12.acre wheat field that hat
been prepared In three different ways
One-third was plowed early In tht
summer and narrowed frequently
One-third was plowed at the sam.
time, was not narrowed, but wal
plowed again Just before seeding. TIL,
remaining third was not plowed unit
seeding time, September 10. Tit
weather had been very dry, yet ol
October the first part was green ant
thick on the ground, The second, o
fallow-plowed part, was about one-hal
as good in appearance, while the thir'
part showed scarcely tinge of green
yet the field was all plowed at on
| time.
Many farmers have not yet learne,
the great value of the disk harrow II
preparing ground for plowing in a dr.
season. One Of the many strikin
object lessons In this line was seel
In the drought district of southerl
Pennsylvania this fall. Many farm
ers did not plow, and those who did
too often turned the ground over Il
hard clods. One seeing and reasonln
man disked his thoroughly dry oa
stubble we'll both ways. He then lef
It two weeks, when although no raj
fell, he could plow 1t with ease an
prepare nice, moist seed bed. Tn
dlsking put dust mulch on top an
prevented the further evaporation Q
the moisture that continues to rise t
the surface, even in dry time, thoug
more slowly, until the ground wa
moist and mellow.
One of the strongest reasons In IL
vor Of fall plowing is that 1t give
greater control over the winter SUI
ply OF water. The farmer would be
ter spend the time, In spring. In hal
rowing than plowing. Whether 1t b
wet or dry season. he has the az
vantage over the man who leaves hi