The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-07-15
PREPARE FOR DROUTH
Farmer Must Pay Particular At
tention to Soil and Crop.
Perhaps Most important consIdera-
ton in Connection With Moisture
Conservation IL Flowing
Use Disk and Harrow.

By H. F. PATTERSON. Montana Ex-
pertinent Station.)
1t is not possible for anyone TO
foretell the season and 1t is not the
purpose of this article to try to pre-
dict the amount of rainfall during the
coming spring and summer months.
The season of 1910 was very dry In
nearly all parts of the United States;
previous to 1910 We had number or
very wet years. A good many au-
thorities are of the opinion that the
wet and the dry seasons alternate
1t Is not the purpose of this article
to leave this impression. for the
writer has not access to the precipi-
tation tables over long enough Pc
Rod. He does not know whether the
coming season will be dry or wet,
but, in the event that it Is dry. 1t Is
well to be prepared for 1t. Then. If
1t should turn off wet, the extra labor
would still bring one in good returns.
To protect himself against dry
season the farmer must pay particu-
iAi 1ltCDllOA " lAC uClilOu Vi haAA-
ling the soil and to the crops that
are planted. 1t has been stated that
the equivalent or about seven inches
of rainfall can be stored in the soil
by proper methods of cultivation. II
| this amount of water is saved and II
then there is any rainfall during the
| growing season, one is quite sure &c
| have good yields. If, however. the
soil is not properly prepared and
moisture has not been saved. and II
then it turns off dry. there is moth
ing to do but to fail
Perhaps the most important con
! sideration in connection with mois
ture preservation is the blowing The
land should be plowed as early II
the spring as possible. 1t should b'
plowed to good depth and the plov
should be followed Immediately will
the disk and the harrow. The disl
will pack down the land, fill up tn,
air spaces, aid in decaying the or
ganic matter, and the harrow will
place dust mulch over the surface
This dust mulch will act as a cove
and prevent the evaporation of mois
ture.
Whether or not 1t will pay to see
crop upon this newly plowed Ian
is difficult to say. In some instance
quick-growing crop would give
yield and in many instances it woul
not. In order to be on the safe sid
1t is suggested that the land shout
be summer fallowed the first seaso
and seeded the next fall or the mex
spring By summer following
meant that the land should be cult
waited or narrowed after each raj
throughout the summer. A good wa
to tell whether the land needs to b
narrowed or not is to study the phy'
ical condition of the surface SOIL
crust has been formed do not della
the narrowing. If large number {
weeds have terminated and are grow
ing, the quicker the land is harrowe
the better. The object of this sun
mer following is to prevent til
evaporation Of moisture.
The second consideration tn;
means success or failure In dry r
gion is the crop that is grown. CroI
that are especially well adapted
the dry land areas should be use
The quick growing varieties seem
give the best results. There are bot
winter and spring varieties of quic
ly maturing grains, The Turkey Re
wheat seems to be very desirable fl
fall seeding. The seed should
sown quite early in the fall. TIL
will give opportunity for a good no,
development. Then again, the ia
sowing permits the grain to sta
very early the next spring. Becau'
, Of these characteristics Turkey Re
wheat will mature before the d.
weather Of July and August. II OF
is to sow spring grown crop
should also secure a variety that w
q mature in as short a time as possib
and one that has hardy ro
: growth These characteristics W
tide the plant over dry spell al
\ no doubt will mature a crop. .
Too much emphasis cannot
! placed upon the method of handlil
the land and in choosing the vari