Graham guardian., 1912-01-26
70 CONSERVE WATER
Practice Dry Farming When
There Is Plenty Rain.
Application Of Humid Methods In Semi.
Arid Conditions Means Repeated
Crop Failures Lessenlng Prof.
lts to Farmers.

The question IL sometimes raised:
"Shall We practice dry farming when
there is plenty OF rain2" Most assured.
ly, writes ]. H. Worst of the North
Dakota Agricultural college in the Wal
lace's Farmer. The time to conserve
moisture Is when there is moisture to
conserve. A farmer remarked to me
the other day: Il have got the mois-
ture on my farm down to depth OF
more than three feet already" That
farmers idea is exactly right. He Is
conserving moisture now for next
years crop. while his neighbors are al
lowing the moisture that has recently
fallen In abundance to 90 its usual
way, according to the laws OF chance.
Next spring his neighbors will plant
their wheat and other small grain and
depend upon the clouds to furnish
moisture as the grain may need It.
This famer will get just AZ much rain
from the clouds as they. and will. In
addition, have large quantity OF wa
ter stored up In the subson to nourish
the crop should dry spell occur dur.
ing the growing season. And that dry
spell Ii very apt to come. ] will ven
ture that this particular farmer will
have big crop next year. whether his
neighbors do or not. II they get Q
big crop, he will get q bigger crop.
It has been fully demonstrated that
considerable portion OF the rainfall
Of any one year can be conserved and
carried over in the soil for the benefit
or the next years crop. Where the
average rainfall Il eighteen inches. II
should be an easy matter to carry four
or Ave inches OF autumn rain water
over the winter for next seasons crop.
Four inches Of water represents ap.
proximately $50 tons OF moisture per
acre--a SUFFICIENT quantity to nourish
the growing crop during weeks Of pro
tracted drought.
As long as we apply humid methods
to semi-arid conditions, we may expect
repeated crop failures, or partial fail.
ures that will materially lessen the
profits which farmers should realize
from their business.
It requires approximately seven dol
lars per acre to grow q crop. This In
cludes interest on investment, cost OF
seed, wear and tear of farm ma
chinery, labor. etc. BY adding one ad-
ditional dollars worth Of labor to each
acre. there is little question but that
the average profits would be doubled
In other words, as much profit should
be realized from the one additional
dollars worth OF labor as Is now real.
lied from the seven dollars worth OF
unavoidable labor and investment.
Consequently, II farmers would devote
one-third OF their land to the growing
Of corn and alfalfa, neither of which
interferes with the time and labor EN-
ployed in farming wheat, and put one
third more labor, thus made available.
on only two-thirds as many acres OF
wheat, they would grow more wheat
than where they spread their energies
over the one-third larger area. The
corn and alfalfa fed to live stock would
insure them a large additional income,
and one that Is not often adversely In
fluenced by climatic conditions. while
the fertility deposited upon the, farm
resulting from feeding the corn and
alfalfa to live stock would vastly i'm.
prove the productiveness Of the soil.
Corn and alfalfa usually can be At
tended to when the wheat needs no
care, thus distributing the labor more
equitably throughout the season.
Another thing. shock-threshing IL
generally bad business. for the reason
that all cannot thresh at once when
the grain is ready for the machine;
consequently. all who cannot thresh
early stand q good chance Of having
their grain injured In the shock and
also are hindered from blowing until
their grain Is threshed. Fully half the
farmers are thus hindered from plow-
ing early, many Of them being CON-
pelled to postpone plowing operations
until the following spring. Better to
stack the grain as soon as ft and start
the plow.
Plow deep, and follow the plow with
a drag. The drag will conserve more
moisture than will get into the soil
from melting SHOWS. Besides. water
thus conserved is where 1t is needed
instead of on the surface, where It