Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1912-05-11
Practical HINTS on Dry Farming.

Practical HINTS on Dry Farming.
There seems to be some lack of gen.
eral information on this subject. One
frequently hears intelligent men say in
a joking way, "Well, Dry Farming may
be all right, but I'd rather have pretty
plenty of rain mixed up with it,"
Dry Farming is not system of farm
ing without water in some form. Any
reasonable man knows such thing is
impossible. No one claims it can be
done.
During the last few years it has been
found that 400 tons of water holding
certain soil elements in suspension must
be taken up by the roots of a field of
wheat, and transpired or evaporated
from the leaves to produce ono ton of
hay.
Corn requires double this amount,
which shows the enormous quantity of
water absolutely necessary for growth.
Man has no control over the rain. We
may get plenty of rain from time to
time to produce heavy crops this year.
There was more than the average
amount of water in the ground when
the snow melted off and even where no
effort was made to save it, it is likely
that some of it is left, for we have had
less than the usual number of hot,
windy days. On the other hand, we may
have deficiency of timely rains like we
have had the last two years. 1t has
been the history of the West that in
two years out of five the rain comes too
early, too late, or worse off in cloud
bursts and under ordinary methods,
farming for that year is not profitable.
1t is well to look these facts squarely in
the face. We are going to farm here in
South Dakota, where the rainfall is less
than 20 inches per year, and its up to us
to make it pay all the time, instead oi
shout half the time.
Now, here's where Dry Farming gets
its innings. The first requirement is
deep plowing. A big poster in the
Bank tells you more about it than ]
have space for, and really the man who
attempts farming of any kind has fre.
quent business at the Bank.
The second Dry Farming principle il
cultivation-to Keep the moisture in the
soil till the plant can use it. 1t has been
proven that three-inch mulch of loose
soil broken after every hard rain will
keep eight out of ten inches of water ir
the ground. That by keeping it up fol
years the soil can be made wet-really
muddy-to depth of ten feet or more
1t has been demonstrated experiment.
ally that with a clay loan soil left un
disturbed after heavy rains where th.
ground has dried and cracked on top
an inch of water may be lost in a single
hot, windy day; while on an adjoining
field double-disked to depth of three
inches, the loss was SO small it was hare
to determine how little it was.
And an inch of water is lot. Irriga
CATION companies charge all the way
from 25 cents to dollar an acre, for tina
much-and it's worth every cent of it.
Now, if you don't believe all thes'
statements, don't jump onto me rougf
shod. Ask John Cole, or any of his Al
men from the Experiment Stations
who attended the International DR..
Farming Congress in body. Ask an!
of the 200 representatives of the Agri
cultural Colleges from IA countries, WHIT
attended with 5000 practical, horny
handed farmers.
Attend the next Congress, October
2l, 26, or if you don't want to go to Leth
bridge, wait year and it will be belt
, in California. The South Dakota branci
} meets next winter.
The Congress isn't run for profit. I
: costs more than your dollar to get ou
the Annual Handbook, which is short
hand report of all the talks and discus
sions occurring in five days session
Some exposition too. 1t filled sever
: circus tents at Colorado Springs.
w. r. WooDs.
Pleasant Valley, 8. D., May 4, 1912.