Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-04-26
PREPARE FOR DRY SEASON.
Some Good Suggestions From Elk.
cellent Authority on I'M
portant Topic.

"ouAu 'hihh uo. iooiS IL VIC uiu. VIZ
know that in certain sections II
will not; but we do not know what
1t Will be in your section. The
point we wish to make is that
whether we are to have dry sea-
son or a wet one, you should pre-.
pare for a dry season.
1t is quite probable that for some
years there will be less rain than
during late years except the last
Last year was dry season all over
the country, from the Rocky Noun
tains to the Atlantic Ocean; that is,
there was less than the average
annual rainfall. These dry years
have habit Of coming in success
sion. One cycle may be very wet,
others very dry; but after a series
of years in which the rainfall has
been less than normal, you will not
often be disappointed if you expect
that few years following will aver
age less than the normal. This is
more noticeable in. semi-arid re-
gions, because the normal rainfall
is low. 1t is less noticeable in sec
tions of abundant rainfall, say thir-
ty-eight to forty-five inches, because
farmers in those sections can get
along very well with ten inches less
than normal amount.
It1is true all over the world that
there is this periodicity in rainfall.
The very oldest records at the sta
tion where the records have been
kept longest. whether in this coun-
try or in Europe, settle that with
out per-adventure; but no man can
year is to be dry or wet one.
Nevertheless, we say to our readers:
Prepare for dry season, that is,
don't waste any of the moisture.
Conserve all of it that you can.
Pillow to the proper depth. Get the
soil settled as soon as possible after
blowing, and with cultivated crops
maintain a mulch of dry dirt. If
rain should be abundant your land
will be none the worse for this
thorough cultivation, but very much
the better. If the rains should be
deficient, you will get a fairly good
crop anyway in most cases by fol-
lowing this method and avoid a
total failure.
You ask how to prepare for a dry
season? Suppose you have corn
stalk land you intend to put in corn,
and have gotten rid of your corn
stalks either by breaking or raking
and burning them. Your land has
moisture in it; not very deep down,
however, for last year was a dry
year, and there have been no ex-
cessive rains in most of our territory
since. If you will let that corn
land lie until you are ready to plow
in the last half o.. April, crust will
have formed and you will lose a
great deal of the moisture that you
have. You can never get 1T back
except through rainfall. Therefore,
disk your corn ground thoroughly,
break up this crust through which
the water is evaporating; form a
mulch of dry dirt, and keep what
moisture you get. The land will
pillow all the easier because there is
no opportunity for clod formation;
and II you follow your pillow with the
harrow, you will have taken long
step in the direction of good seed
bed.
If you are going to put this land
into oats, do just the same thing.
Break up the crust that forms on
top: disk thoroughly, disking deep
err than usual. Put in the oats with
a drill; don't broadcast. In other
words, act on the theory that you
are going TO be short of moisture
and must conserve it in every way
you can.
If your land is wet, tile drain 1t
But, you say, that will let the water
run away. So it will, but only the
water that is of no use to you. The
only water the plant can make use
of is that which is in very thir
film around the soil grains. You
cannot use the rest; but as long az
YOUR land is undrained. the space
between the soil grains, whicf
should contain air, and must II !
is to produce a crop. is filled will
water. That water is not only use
less, but is a positive damage. &c
rid of it by letting it run away. !
will do so If you give 1t chance
Do you know that sometimes lane
actually rises after 1t is drainedg s.
at least, government experts tell us
land we believe they tell the truth
Why? Simply because 1t has be
/ coma aerated Instead of being sod