The silver messenger., 1911-07-11
DRY FARMING TERM
As Much Misunderstood as Any
in English Language.
First Used In irrigated Country
Where Land Was Cultivated
Above bitches or Before lrri-
cation was lnau0urateo.

AOOv0 OItCUCo W OS'V'S
cation was lnaugurated.
Dry farming Is perhaps as much
misunderstood term as any IN the
English language. Many people seem
to think it is some hocus-pocus sys
tenn whereby crops can be produced
on arid or desert soil where no rain
falls. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Dry farming was the term
used in the irrigated country where
the land was cultivated above the
ditch or before the bitches were coli
structed to irrigate the land. through
out the greater part of the irrigated
belt from 10 to 20 inches Of rain 1eA
annually and many farmers having
only a small acreage under the irri-
eating ditch supplemented this by
farming more or less OF the unirrl'
gated land adjoining and to their sur
prise In many seasons 1t paid them
better than the irrigated land as IT
was not nearly so expensive to work.
Thus originated the term dry farm
ing.
"Hellriegel showed by aceual ex-
pertinent that IL inches Of effective
rain during the growing season OF
wheat starting with the soil moisture
in good condition should enable
yield Of 40 bushels to be produced
and that 25 bushels of wheat would
require rs inches Of rain on the same
basis" In but very few parts of the
arid or semi-arid sections of this
country are there less than ten inches
of rain per annum. The whole prob
lem of the dry farmer Is to make as
large a proportion as possible Of this
rainfall effective for his growing
crops.
Rainfall is lost to a greater or less
extent in two ways: First, by perco-
lating down into the deep strata OF
soils beyond the reach Of the roots OF
the plants, and, second. by surface
evaporation. Over the first of these
ways of losing the annual rainfall the
farmer has no control except in se-
lecting the farm. The dry farmer
should avoid all land containing a
sandy or gravelly subsoil or one con-
tanning layers of hard pan near the
surface because II he selects the for
mer he will lose all the rainfall by
percolation and II he selects the latter
he will lose 1t by surface run of or
drainage.
What kind of land should the dry
-
with a clay or clay-silt subsoil which
can be readily dug with spade with
out the aid of pick although the
hard clay subsoils will do very we'll,
provided they are free from hard-pan
layers 1t is as important for the dry
farmer to get a water holding 'subsoil
as 1t is for the irrigated farmer to get
perpetual water right as the sub
soil is the dry farmers reservoir in
which he stores the rainfall OF one
season for his crops of the next. The
proper selection Of the dry farm is
the all important thing in preventing
the loss of effective rain through per
collation.; the proper cultural methods
are the things to be considered in pre-
venting the loss Of effective rain
through surface evaporation.
These methods differ in different
parts of the country. In the northern
part of the United States and Canada
surface evaporation is very small dur
ing the winter season. In the south
ern part Of the United States ant
Mexico surface evaporation may q
on quite rapidly throughout the entire
year so that 30 inches of rain may no
be as effective in Texas as Is inches
would be in Montana. Deep plowin'
is usually advocated In the dry farm
ing region as such forms a good reser
voir to catch the rains which ar
generally very heavy while they last
The soil should also be compacte'
with a sub-surface packer or simila
tool Immediately after plowing SO tn
soil around all vegetation plowed ur
der is firm and thus hastens decay
Cempacting the soil also destroy
large air spores and establishes capi
larity between the soil and subsoi
In order to prevent surface evapors
| tlOu llC plNWAH6 oAOuAu UO uldSSS
Immediately after subsurface packin
unless the soil is very fine and me
low with tendency to blow TIL
land should be dragged after ever
rain so as to bottle up that water /
the subsoil and also prevent any los
of previous rains.
In regions of scanty rainfall q
inches or less) it is generally advar
tageous to summer till half or a
! least third of the land each season
Such land should be plowed early /
:, the season before any weeds have tai
: en- out any soil moisture and afte
:, plowing it should be kept free fro1
= weeds all summer and dust mule
should be kept on the field to prevel
all the evaporation possible. In r
gions OF over Is inches of rain tt
|. same results can be obtained by
& well-kept cultivated crop. II tn
l. work is not done well and at II
a proper time all the seasons work VI
a be for naught.