The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-02-23
DRY FARMING RULES
Past Two Years in Texas Well
Adapted as Test.
Greatest Trouble Seems to Be That
Wind Blows In s~pring-Each Lo-
cality Must, TO Large Extent,
Work Out Own Problems.

we better understand the pr1n-
ciples OF dry farming, IL we consider
that the soil is a huge sponge. II
takes In water In proportion to its
%looseness and water is ~evaporated
from It in the same way. A we'll
plowed field takes up a great deal
more water than a pasture, II the
rain Is OF short duration. But the
grass roots will hold water longer
than the plowed field, unless the field
has been treated properly. A sponge,
soaked in water and hung in the open
air, will dry out very quickly. but II
a newspaper is tied round the sponge
the water in the sponge will remain
there a long time.
The underlying principle OF dry
farming is to put something over the
land which will act as the newspaper
does around the sponge. and still not
interfere with the growing crops. 1t
has been found that a shallow coat
of finely pulverized. dry soil will do
the same work. as the newspaper does.
That is why one of the cardinal prin-
ciples OF dry farming is cultivate
constantly" Another principle is
pillow deep before the rains come"
The reason is easy to see. Deep pillow.
Ing loosens the tight soil and allows
It to soak up more water.
The past two years in Texas have
been well adapted to testing dry farm.
ing methods. Last winter, for in
stance, we had good rains and they
continued In many sections well up
into the spring. But the summer was
dry and hot. On land that had been
prepared by deep blowing for the win
ter rains, the moisture soaked in
deep, and when that land was fur
ther protected by constant cultiva-
ton and the keeping of a dry blanket
Of fine dirt over 1t. crops sent their
roots down into the moist soil under
meath and produced yields in spite
OF the lack OF rain.
No hard and fast rules can be laid
down for dry farming, any more than
rules can be laid down which will ap-
ply to any other kind of farming for
all localities.
Writing to the Dry Farming Bulle-
tin, Anders L. Mordt OF Guymon, Okla,
illustrates this as follows:
There is a Norwegian colony in
Hanford county, Texas. brought in
from the best settlements OF the north
and northwest. These men have adopt
ed the dry farming methods as the
only way to farm in this country. and
they intend to keep this up regardless
OF rainy or droughty years. AS a re.
suit, IL they have a rainy year, they
can store away enough moisture TO
raise a crop that year and leave
enough TO supply a second year when
they add the ordinary rainfall to the
supply that they have stored away.
The greatest trouble seems to be due
10 the fact that the wind blows In the
spring. The farmers have learned that
they cannot AFFORD TO work the dust
blanket too fine. as the wind in the
spring season will carry inches of dirt
away from one field over on another
II they leave the field too lumpy there
will be too many cracks and the evan.
Grafton will be too large. We must
ind a middle way. There is also a
doubt as to whether or not deep pillow.
Ing Is a good thing. Some state that
five inches is all anyone must pillow at
any time, while others claim that
eight, ten and twelve inch blowing is
not too much. We are as vet in the
experimental stage, and It will take
some time before we can do very much
In laying down rules for farming.
Each locality must. to a large extent,
solve Its W dry farming problems,
but when we know that dry farming
produces crops alongside fields that
are barren when cultivated by other
methods. we ought to be willing to
make the necessary experiments in
order to ind out the best principles
for our respective localities. The man
who a help himself by dry farming
and who will cling to other plans is
standing in his own light.