The Raymer enterprise., 1911-12-21
GREAT DANGERS IN DlsklHe
Habit Comes From Humid States
Where II Rains Often and Little
Cultivation 10 Needed.
CBy E. r. PARsoN.)

we nave Uecu Ndun1u6 IhS SuSSSS
Of shallow blowing and disking for
nearly thirty years. and still We can
see no good in It. Every dry year the
same thing happens. In 1908 We went
over thousands Of acres where the
crops had been disked In on stubble.
We saw oats burned out six and
eight inches high; spring wheat COM
pletely fred just beginning to head:
winter wheat that went only five BUSH
els to the acre; and fields OF corn on
shallow. .plowed sod that yielded moth.
Ing but handful Of fodder.
The disking and shallow plowing
habits come from the humid states.
where 1t rains sometimes twice q
week, and small crops can always be
raised by simply cultivating enough
to keep the weeds out.
Farmers will sometimes say: I'VE
can raise more by disking than plow-
Ing" This is true. because sur.
face farmer seldom plows more than
three inches. and he can do this equal.
ly well and more quickly with the
disk Or he may pillow without har-
rowing. let the ground dry out as he
goes. and plant In poorly prepared
seed bed.
An old friend OF ours used to raise
Indifferent crops by blowing once in
three years and disklng In his seeds
the two intervening years. The flrst
year his oats would be about two to
three feet high; the second year, IS
inches: and the third about foot !:
but II dry year happened. there was
nothing doing. He always would per
sist that he could raise good crops
without plowing to cary his cattle
through the winter happened to
meet him In 1909. WELL" said,
"how did you come out last year,
oh" he said. 81 sold my cattle"
Thousands Of head Of cattle were
sold in the fall Of 1908 for the same
reason. This put the market right
down and the dry farmers lost heav'
lily.
Supposing We plant crop OF spring
wheat or oats on corn stubble. what
happens? Ninety per cent OF the
farmers put cattle on the stubble
during the winter The ground be
comes hard and overpacked; we disk
this on the surface and plant the seed
For awhile It does splendidly, and II
the rains keep up viii make fail
crop; but II dry weather comes and
crust forms on the surface or un
der the mulch, the crop Is gone. for
1t is solid underneath. II has never
been plowed.
1t Is the surface farmers who are al
ways wailing about this crust under
the mulch. but those who belong tc
the deep-plowing school pay no atten
tion to It. for they still have plenty
Of room for the roots Of their crop,
down below. and II the mulch above
the crust Is in proper shape there II
| ~ uioic eNnpoi dtlou indU tHeTe ID Ue
fore.
A man wrote TO me once and asked
what he should do for the crust under
the mulch. wrote back and said
Next year plow deep" His answer
was: How did you find out that
didn't plow deep"
The worst consequence OF diskins
without plowing is the effect It has
on next years crop. The ground be
Ing hard. the water penetrates very
little; the available moisture is uset
up by the crop. and the surplus evap
crates or runs OF. Nothing is savet
for next year.
In dry farming. II We work onl,
for the present. We are living from
haLd to mouth. The very foundation
OF this branch Of agriculture is I,
farm for the future. Store up mois
ture in the soil next year and tn,
year after. keep track of It with tn,
pick and shovel or with a grount
augur. and you will soon find ou
which style Of farming pays the best