Weekly journal-miner., 1911-11-08

cultivation of the soil, proper seed selection and systematic management
 A few years ago it was thought that the millions of acres in semi-arid re- .gions were destined to remain barren until the end of time, but through in genuity and perseverance, tens of thousands of those sun-burned acres have been made productive, and the time is not far distant when all of our western lands where ten or more inches of rain falls annually will pro- duce food in abundance for man and beast.
 The principles applied to dry land farming are applicable to any section of the United States, and when all farmers adopt the same thorough methods of tillage that the dry land farmers are obliged to, if they are at all successful, the increase in produc- tion will be far greater than the in crease in our population. Dry land will not tolerate careless work or neglect. All operations from the seed-bed to the harvest are interde- pendent, and like a chain that can be no stronger than its weakest link, the harvest will correspond to the weakest step in the operations.
 An improperly made seed-bed is like a shifting sand foundation for a house. The seed-bed is the founda- tion for the crop. It must be made so that it will readily receive and ab- sorb rainfalls, be they light or heavy. Primarily it must be deep and mellow. A deep. mellow seed-bed acts as a temporary reservoir to receive and hold water until it percolates into the deeper subsoils. If it is shallow, a rainfall of two or three inches during one shower will not be absorbed, but as soon as the hard-pan is reached She surplus will run away.
 A deep seed-bed insures a rapid and strong development of young roots with strength to penetrate deep. A shallow seed-bed means delicate roots which seek the course of least resistance in the loose surface soils. That statement can be verified by any farmer who will take the trouble 10 make a careful investigation. A deep seed bed means good ventilation and an abundance of room for plant food. It must be remembered that plant roots first seek water and they will go to it if they have the strength hence the farmer should exert every effort to encourage their early de- velopment.
 In order to make this subject plain, let us start with a field of ripe grain. The grain shades the ground, and in a measure prevents the broiling sun from drawing away moisture. MOis- ture is the elixir of plant life, and every particle possible must be say ed. How can this be accomplished? You know that the surface is full of cracks. you know that as soon as the grain is cut, every stalk is an escape chimney. You know that moisture will escape through both cracks and stems. What should be done?
 The answer is easy. Stop up the leaks. Follow the binder with disc harrow. That implement forms a mulch that effectually closes up the little openings, and at the same time i wUrBs into the soil the stubble. You have accomplished three very import | ant things, First you have checked l the escape of moisture, second the | surface is made porous, an essential 1 condition in the event of rains. Third, | you have worked the stubble into the | seed-bed so that when the blow turns | the furrow slice the trash will not | act as an insulation to prevent capil- l tary attraction.
 The next step is blowing. The | sooner the ground is plowed after harvest the better, provided that the plow is followed with implements cal culsted to place the soil in condi- Tion to store and conserve moisture. If the ground is plowed and left loose and lumpy, it would be better not to | blow it at all until seeding time, un- less the blowing is done late in the fall.
 The harrow, disc or packer should | Hollow the blow if the blowing is done at any time other than just before winter sets in. If the ground is | lumpy and much trash exists, the disc gives the best results. If the soil is well pulverized, narrowing is sufficient. If the ground is loose and