Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1911-09-23
DAKOTA. SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER %, 1911.
DRY FARMING.
EDITOR CUSTER CHRONICLE:

| LEAN Clh '-hItcT u CdIcIul Iohuluk VI
the article on Dry Farming in the
CHRONICLE of the 9th instant, contribut-
ed by Mr.. John T. Burns, Executive
Secretary Treasurer of the international
Dry Farming Congress, gather from it
that Mr.. Burns disagrees with my pre-
vious remarks on the subject and dis
approves of my style Of writing, also
that my ignorance of the gospel of the
Dry Mulch debars me from forming an
intelligent opinion on its merits.
Now it appears to me, that ifdry farm
ing is capable of producing such results
as are widely claimed for 1t, its advan-
tages should be plainly visible to any
one, by reason of the better crops rails
ed under such conditions. Surely it
does not require even the small amount
of intelligence which Mr.. Burns credits
me with, to be able to see whether or
not dry farmer is raising better crops
than his neighbors, under like climatic
and soil conditions, and indeed the COM
parison of results, which is the crucial
test of any system of farming, is alto.
gether in favor of the dry farmer for the
reason, that even if better crops are
shown, the observer does not see what
the increased cost of producing such re-
suits may have been, or whether such
costs do not outweigh the profits on in
creased production, if such there be.
From conversations 1 have had with
farmer friends in this locality, l believe
there are quite few Hayseed Harry's
around here who entertain opinions on
the subject of dry farming, very similar
to those in the article which Mr.. Burns
dissents from, and l would like to see
some Of the people around here who
have given the system fair trial, ex-
press themselves as to their experience
with it, and how much more profitable
it has been, even under conditions OF
rainfall that were sufficient to raise crops
without it, than would have been the
case if they had farmed their land well,
without any special dry farming meth
DDS.
Having lived here since 1885, I have
painful recollections Of dry seasons,
when good ordinary farming failed to
raise crops. We have been told, that
had we in those days known Of dry
farming methods, we could surely have
raised crops, and 30 long as we were not
subjected to any dry seasons to test the
truth of it, we were willing to accept the
assurance given, but as soon as dry sea-
sons came, a whole lot Of doubt about
that came with them, for the drought
resisting qualities of dry farming failed
to show up, and now Mr.. Burns in his
letter tells US, that no one but an insane
person would expect dry farming to
raise crop in such year as the present
one.
Without any close relevancy, there is
something about the attitude of the
teachers of dry farming with regard to
dry weather that reminds me of the ad
vice of the mother to her daughter who
wanted to 20 in swimming:
Hang your clothes on hickory limb,
But don't go near the water"
1 have heard a good many farmers
express themselves to the effect that
Dry Farming is all right, so long as we
get plenty of rain.
Mr.. Burns is solicitous to know why l
am sore on real estate men. That is an
easy one to answer Il am not. But I
have heard real estate men assuring
prospective honyockers that they could
raise first class crops on black shale beds
and the dryest kinds of uplands, if they
would use enlightened dry farming
methods; and they talked it so convinc-
ingly that l almost believed them my
self. 1t was not difficult to see the SER
vice dry farming was to these men.
Owing doubtless to my ignorance, on
which Mr.. Burns lays so much stress in
his letter, have about come to the con-
clusion that Dry Farming is more profit
able to preach than to practice, since IL
can support journals and correspondence
schools for its teaching, and also can
see why, from the point Of view of q
cross, compound double action, "Ex-
ecutive Secretary Treasurer" Dry Farm
ing might remain good business, unless
it got really dry.
Yours very truly,
HAYsEED HARRY.