The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-02-08

4ueHLly we unQ tn9C these calCula-
ttons have somewhat miscarried. The
cream check does away with this. We
pay our obligations as we go along.
Eventually we become interested in
seeing just how far we can make this
cream check 90 each month towards
paying for our purchases. This spirit
of economy extends to every member
of the family and promotes thrift all
around"
Prof. Sheppard concluded his talk
with some good suggestions on the
value of hogs on the farm, the feeding
OF hogs, and the dairy COW on the
farm.
Shaw on Dry Farming.
Prof. Thomas Shaw of the north
west spoke on the value of dry farm
Ing methods. He. said in substance:
Dry farming does not mean farm
ing without the aid Of moisture but
1t does mean farming on relatively
small amount of moisture 1t implies
that the small amount of moisture
shall be so conserved that crops may
be grown without tho hazard of seri-
GUS failure. The measure of the
rainfall that constitutes . country
that calls for dry farming processes
can scarcely be stated in inches, OF
| II 80 stated It should be understood
that two influences may materially
modify the results. One Of these is
the percolation of water downward
and the other is evaporation. A san
dy or gravelly subsoil will call for a
greater precipitation to make crops
grow than a clay subsoil. Evapora-
tim &o vsov 81 hNk Ln~ -
cool climate. hence more water is
the former than in the latter. %
Ordinarily, an area that has an an
nual precipitation OF twenty. inches
would not call for specific dry land
farming methods. On the other hand
an area with less than ten inches of
| precipitation in a year would mot
have enough of :. moisture to
bring success every season to dry
land methods Of tillage. It is now
coming to be generally recognized
that ten inches OF annual precipita-
tion makes dry land apethQds Of .cul-
ture possible. The. pr4blem is fea>
sonably easy and saiefaa whsre the
! precipitation runs from twelve to SIX.
teen inches. 1t is easier and safer
still when. It. is above sixteen inches
/ Happily for Dakota west Of the Red
river valley, the average annual pre-
cipitation is from eighteen inches
down 'sto fourteen inches, less rain
falling westward than toward the
valley. There can be no question
therefore, as to the success that
should attend the growing of crops OF
fgrain providing these are properly
grown.
last summer. The average yield OF
grain has been put at four and one
half bushels per acre. That average
is deplorably low. Money is lost in
growing wheat when the yield is this
low, and In the aggregate the loss is
serious. It would not be any exager-
alton to say that the loss In growing
wheat alone to the farmers last sea-
son was not less than $25,000,000.
That loss might have been prevent
ed. That at least is my opinion. My
conviction is that the element of haz-
ard In growing crops in Dakota may
be eliminated. 1t may be virtually
almost. entirely eliminated If the
farmer will do what he may do and
what he ought to do in handling his
land. The farmers of Dakota should
have had two bushels of crop last
year for every one ther reaped. They
might have been thus spared that tre-
mendous loss that has been referred
to. They may so handle their land
that when they SOW crop Of grain
they may confidently look for fair
return, even though the season
should be dry. How can it be done:
1t can be done by sowing the grain
only on summer fallowed land, or on
land that has grown cultivated crop
such as potatoes. corn, beans or
field roots. The cultivation given in
both instances must be correct. When
land is thus handled the moisture is
conserved for the next crop. Even
though the following season should
be dry, the moisture thus carried ov-
er in the soil and the additional
moisture that falls should make a
crop. 1t may not he a large crop
but 1t will be reasonably good.
What is meant by properly sum-
mer following land? 1t means plow-
ing the land deeply at that season
when 1t has the most moisture In it
| If asked how deeply. the answer is
from say six to nine inches. The
nearer the approach to nine inches
the more suitable is the depth. The
latter half of May and all of June
are the seasons when the ground con-
tains the largest amount of moisture
The land is then plowed easily be-
cause it is moist. The day that 1t is
plowed it ought to be packed. The
object of packing is to compress the
soil particles so that the dry air and
warm wind that blows at that time
may not carry away the moisture
from the land that has been plowed
The harrow should at once follow to
make dust mulch. The object OF
the dust mulch is to prevent the mois-
ture coming up from below from es.
Gaping.
Should rain fall. it will go down
and add to the moisture already in
the soil. In short time. however
the soil will crust on the surface. II
left undisturbed 1t will crack open
Through the many little assures the
CONTINUED on page 81