The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-06-15
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 lnaugurated.

Dry farming is perhaps as much
misunderstood term as any in the
English language. Many people seem
to think II is some hocus.pocus sys-
TEN whereby crops can be produced
on arid or desert soil where no rain
falls. Nothing coald 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 con.
structed TO irrigate the land. Through
out the greater part of the irrigated
belt from 10 TO 20 inches OF rain fen
annually and many farmers having
only a small acreage under the irri-
eating ditch supplemented this by
farming more or less OF the unirri
gated land adjoining and to their sur.
prise in many seasons II paid them
better than the irrigated land as II
was not nearly SC expensive TO work.
Thus originated the term dry farm
Ing
"Hellriegel showed by aceual ex-
pertinent that 12 inches of effective
rain during the growing season OF
wheat starting with the soil moisture
in good condition should enable a
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 semiarid 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 Sc
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 If he selects the for
mer he will lose all the rainfall by
percolation and II he selects the latter
he will lose It by surface run off or
drainage.
What kind of land should the dry
farmer select? A loan surface soil
with clay or clay-silt subsoil which
can be readily dug with a 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 water holding subsoil
as II 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 and
Mexico surface evaporation may go
on quite rapidly throughout the entire
year so that 80 inches Of rain may not
be as effective in Texas as 10 inches
would be in Montana. Deep plowing
is usually advocated in the dry farm
voir to catch the rains which are
generally very heavy while they last.
The soil should also be compacted
with n sub-surface packer or similar
tool Immediately after plowing so the
soil around all vegetation plowed un-
der is firm and thus hastens decay.
Compacting the soil also destroys
large air spores and establishes capil- !
larity between the soil and subsoil.
In order to prevent surface evapora-
tion the plowing should be dragged
Immediately after subsurface packing
unless the soil is very fine and mel.
low with a tendency to blow The !
land should be dragged after every
rain so as TO bottle up that water in !
the subsoil and also prevent any loss
of previous rains.
In regions Of scanty rainfall Q5 !
inches or less) II is generally advan, !
:ageous to summer till half or at |
least third OF the land each season.
Such land should be plowed early in |
the season before any weeds have TAX.
en- out any soil moisture and after |
plowing It should be kept free from
weeds all summer and dust mulch |
should be kept on the field to prevent |
all the evaporation possible. In re-
gions OF over 10 inches of rain the
same results can be obtained by a
well-kept cultivated crop. If this
work is not done we'll and at the |
proper time all the seasons work will !
be for naught.
Tho nrinpiplas Of dry forrnipg or |