The Raymer enterprise., 1911-01-05
BIG CROPS POSSIBLE
Conservation Of Moisture Is
Placed Ahead of Irrigation.
Dry Farming rs Most important Issue,
Says Prof. shaw-Rotation, FaI.
lowing and Scientific cultlva-
tion Productive.

DRY farming is the greatest prob
lem that confronts the people of the
West today" recently declared Prof.
Thomas Shaw. who was in Central
Oregon recently investigating condi-
tons relating to that particular
branch of agriculture. Professor Shaw
has been at the head Of the depart.
ment OF animal husbandry at the Uni.
versity OF Minnesota since 1893. and
Is the author OF numerous books on
various phases OF scientific farming.
in comparison with dry farming
the mining industry. important as 1t
is, dwindles into insignificance." Prof.
Shaw continued. The problem Of ir.
rigation is great. yet when irrigation
has done the best 1t can do, not more
than per cent Of the arid land in the
West can be affected. All OF the re-
naming portion, excluding forest
areas. must be made to produce crops
with dry farming methods.
"Conservationists should devote
some of their time and energy to the
conservation OF moisture in the soil.
The value OF the rain that falls during
April, May, June and July on the
lands of the semiarid West, II prop
erly conserved Is more than that OF
all the other material interests com.
bined"
Professor Shaw said that his expe-
rience had shown that good crops OF
all kinds Of grain and some vegetables
can be obtained on summer-fallowed
land, properly prepared. In seasons OF
unusual drought, and that very large
yields may be grown In season when
the rainfall is more than normal. On
account of the more open character
Of bench lands, such areas have pro-
duced more heavily than the lands be-
side the streams. he said. He referr-
ed to the record of the bench lands in
Montana. to illustrate this point:
1T is hazardous" he continued. in
pointing out the methods OF dry farm.
Ing that will not succeed. ito grow a
crop OF grain In these bench lands,
when they have been plowed In the
spring and the crop sown the same
season. II the season should prove
moist a good crop may result. but II
It should prove dry II will assuredly
fail. and the failure may be complete"
He said that the experiment had
taught him that lands devoted to a
cultivated crop could be followed with
n cereal crop with fair return to the
grower. The process OF cultivation
under this method. he pointed out was
not far different from that employed
when cultiyating the summer fallow.
The difference came In the subtrac.
ton OF moisture from the soil when
growing the cultivated crop. The
question whether enough moisture
would remain TO assure fair crop
has been brought up. but Professor
Shaw said that at the experiment sta.
uons he had grown spring wheat of
the durum variety after corn. while
beside them were wheat plats started
after the bare fallow. In every In.
stance the wheat was stronger and
more promising after the corn than
after the bare fallow. He said that
the explanation Of this apparent
phenomenon was difficult, but account.
ed for it in the fact that the cultlya.
tion OF the corn probably stirred the
soil more deeply than the harrow used
in the summer fallow. thus liberating
more soil fertility.
THE crops that may be grown on
dry farming lands may be divided into
three classes-cereals. cultivated
drops and alfalfa" he said. Among
the cereals winter wheat Is beyond all |
comparison the most important, for
the reason that 1t is the surest crop
that may be grown and that II is OF
the highest money value because OF
the large yields obtained. Some areas
have grown 60 bushels to the acre.
The average yield is not less than 25
bushels Durum wheat is, next to win.
ter wheat, the best money crop that
can be grown. 1t will not bring so
high n price in the market, but It will
more than Offset the lack in this re.
spect by the increased yield.
THE third crop In money value Is
fax. This Is better adapted to spring
breaking than any other crop. Speltz,
barley and oats have also been sue.
cessful as spring crops. Both speltz
and white hulless barley mature early
and this means that they are less II.
able to be injured than some other
crops by the dry weather that usually
accompanies the maturing OF grain.
The oat crop calls for more moisture
than any Of these.
"The cultivated crops that may be
grown are corn, potatoes, beans and
field roots. OF these. corn for fodder
is by far the most valuable and i'm.
portant This will be the great cult.
vated crop OF the dry country up to
an elevation Of 1000 feet
"The great reliance for forage will
be alfalfa. The farmer In the dry
country must depend more upon al.
falfa for hay than any other crop. II
can be grown on nearly all the bench
land country susceptible Of cultivation.