Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-10-12
DRY FARMING SYSTEM.
The Condition of Amy Old Way" Is
Rapidly Changing.

wear i'll its history since its settlement
The almost total failure OF all crops
has compelled the farmers to study
dry farming as never before.
The great fault with western Kansas
agriculture up to the present time IS
that there has been no regular system
or method Of farming In fact. until
the last few years, ANY old way
would fairly describe the method Of
cropping and soil culture in general
practice.
This condition is rapidly changing
The study of the science of dry farm
ing has served to establish certain
facts and principles which must be
obsered i'll order to grow profitable
crops. The most important Of these
is the fact that the moisture which
falls as rain or snow must be stored
in the subsoil and conserved by
proper system OF soil culture in order
to insure against crop failure due to
drought during the growing period
OF the crops.
IT has become well established and
generally accepted fact that profitable
crops cannot be produced for long
period in the Great Plains region by
a process OF continuous cropping
which depends mainly upon the rains
which fall during the growing season
to produce a crop each year. In OF
der To insure against great loss from,
drought and often total failure Of
crops, il is necessary TO store the rains
which fall between the harvesting of
one crop and the planting OF the next
and even more than this. II becomes
necessary occasionally to fallow the
land or rest from cropping for a sea
son with the purpose of storing the
rains OF one whole year in the sub
soil and thus accumulate soil moisture
in order that there may be a sufficient
supply to insure the production OF
crop when it is planted and grown
The most important factor in dry
farming, which has been greatly neg
lectcd by our western farmers is get
ting the rain water into the ground
and safely stored or conserved in the
subSoil where it may be drawn upon
by the growing crop.
The plan of producing a soil which
is to conserve the moisture which Is
in the soil has been taught and more
or less successfully praeticcd for many
years. But in very dry season this
method failed because with no mois-
ture stored in the soil, surface cult
walton to maintain a mellow soil mulch
gave little or no benefit. There was
no moisture to conserve!
Now the plan should be in the be
ginning of the preparation of the seed
bed to put the soil in the most favor
able condition to receive the rain AZ
carry it downward into the Subsoil
This is accomplished by disking soon
after harvest or late in the fall or
early in the spring. Deep blowing 4
long time before planting, leaving the
soil mellow and rough. cnlarges the
water reservoir and favors he alb
Sorption of heavy rain, but the best
plan of storing moisture, as ! have
determined by experiments and rs
brought ont by the experience OF
farmers at the Institutes is the meth
cd of listing the soil in deep burrows
and ridges Immediately after harvest
or in the fall after the corn or kahr
is cut, or if this work cannot be ac-
complished in the fall, then early
spring listing is desirable.
Soil which is opened out in listed
burrows is in the best possible condi
ton to catch and store the rain, which
as il falls runs quickly to the bottom
of the burrows and is rapidly absorbed
directly into the subsoil without hav
ing to pass through six or seven
inches of fine compact surface soil.
The subsoi of our western plains IS
usually checked or Strained IT. YER
teal plane, hence the water in the boz
tom of the listed burrows penetrates
rapidly downward and is protected
from evaporation because less evap-
Grating surface is exposed and also
the ridges, especially if the burrows
run east or west, protect the burrows
from the wind and direct rays of the
sun.
On the other hand, the surface soil
is an unstrati6ed mass of fine soil
grains which does not allow the rain
water to percolate readily. Also a
heavy rain quickly packs the soil It
the surface so that it will not take
water rapidly. with the result that too
much of the rain water is drained off
bcfore II can he absorbed nv the soil