The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-08-03
TO SECURE MOISTURE
Mulch Blanket Formed by Prop
er Use OF CuItivator.
Rough Cultivation impedes Run-oF,
Prevents Mud Forming and Causes
Rain to Soak ln-Efect Of
Summer TIlllng.

Summer TIlIlns.
(By Z. r. PARSONS. in the Dry Farm
ing Congress Bulletin.)
Soil and water take up more space
than soil alone. therefore when the
moisture dries out 1t leaves a void.
This void is represented by an In
Unite number Of fine crevices or cracks
which zig-zag in every direction.
After a storm, when the sun comes
out, the surface Of the earth under
the magnifying glass begins to wrinkle
as II dries Next day these wrinkles
begin to develop into well-defned
cracks or assures which go deeper
9nd deeper every day as the ground
dries out and contracts from the sur
I face down. These crevices allowing
; the free circulation OF air as far as
/ they go. cause very rapid evaporation.
/ As we go deep into the subsoil away
below these cracks, the evaporation is
very slight.
( During the drouth Of 1908 on a piece
OF summer fallowed land, the loss OF
/ moisture at three feet below the sur
[ face was not more than ! per cent
month. This. OF course, demonstrates
Z the advantage OF holding your mois-
/ ture in the right place.
/ BY using the cultivator we form
mulch OF earth in the granular condi-
/ ton which, being loose. settles as the
moisture goes out of II without form
ing cracks, and not only checks and
| plugs up the crevices already formed,
but prevents the formation OF fresh
ones.
II you ask the question, What con-
| stitutes dry farming?" ninety-nine
men out OF hundred will answer:
The conservation of moisture. but IL
you happen to strike dry farmer OF
experience who understands his busi-
ness, he will tell you that the accumu-
lation OF moisture is the first half OF
dry farming and the conservation OF
moisture the second half. Those who
farm on the conservation theory only
will argue that smooth cultivation is
the best because IT exposes less sur
face to the atmosphere and therefore
causes less evaporation. This theory
is correct as far as 1t goes. but If we
use smooth cultivation in cloud
burst country we cannot accumulate
half as much moisture as we can with
rough cultivation, which impedes run
of. prevents mud forming and causes
the rain TO soak In.
They are beginning to find these
things out at the experiment station.
In late bulletin from the department
of agriculture We are told that sum
mer tilling is not much OF success
except for winter crops, and they find
that spring crops usually do as well
planted In the ordinary way. The fact
is, summer tilling conserves moisture
but does not accumulate 1t. Continual
tilling creates too fine a mulch; mud
forms and holds the moisture instead
OF allowing II to penetrate. II is like
trying to get water into flour sack.
AS far as epring crops are concerned,
another factor intervenes, and that is
the natural packing OF the soil. II
summer fallowed land is not planted
until the following spring, the plowing
is then about year old and the
ground much too solid for planting.
+. ID. Farrell, formerly in charge of
the Nephi (Utah) experiment station,
says that during heavy rain OF two
inches and five-tenths, only five-tenths
was caught In the summer titled land
and we can well understand it-but
in the summer fallow plowed ten
inches deep and cultivated rough with
the large-size corn cultivator blades
which leave a distinct furrow, we can
catch all this rain as ii comes. II will
penetrate perhaps six or eight inches.
The summer fallow should be culti
waited Just enough to keep the weeds
out, no more. II there is any slope
the cultivation should be always
across, not up and down with It. Mag
nificent spring crops can be raised on
the summer fallow, provided 1t has
been treated as above for the ac
cumulation of moisture. but 1t must
be plowed again before planting. moi
necessarily as deep as the first plow
ing, for ground packs too hard in
/ twelve months to secure the best re
, suits.
For spring crops we usually find fal
blowing left rough until the frost Il
out OF the ground the best and mos
profitable treatment.
II the disc is used for cultivatinl
the summer fallow, the land should b,
, disced as deep as possible and theI
, cross-disced without any tapping; b!
!. this means the surface is hollowe,
/. out In squares like a checker boar'
and will absorb any quantity of mois
=, ture as II comes.