The Clovis news. [volume] (Clovis, N.M.) 1907-1929, 1912-06-06
SUMMER TITLED CROPS
Dry Farming Had Serious Back
set IN Past TWO Years.
Fair Crop Could Have Been Raised
Had Campbell System Of FILLING
and Storing Of Rainfall Been
Put Into Practice.

and Storing Of Rainfall Seen
Put Into Practice.
In the last two Or three years dry
farming has had the worst backset Il
many seasons or perhaps since the Sc
RES OF unusually dry years Ia the early
ninetIes. However we have had but
few 81 any years ia which d fair crop
could not have been grown by the
Campbell system OF summer ulilne
one half OF the land every year ana
storing the rainfall thereby utilizing
the moisture OF two years TO produce
one crop. writes v. II. Hamilton IN the
Denver Field and Farm Ending with
1907 we had a series Of years OF more
than normal rainfall and in some dry
districts the fan wheat averaged about
twenty bushels the acre and this by
very poor methods Of farming Then
in 1908 spring rains we're light ano
crops generally were a failure, so that
the farmers did not harvest them, but
ulowed the land during the early SUM
ner for the next years crop.
with a good supply of moisture that
fall and the next spring q boomer
crop was harvested IN 1903 averaging
twenty-five to thirty bushels and In
some fields up to nearly fifty bushels
the acre. Then In 1910 wheat aver
aged about ten bushels In acre with
many total failures. One field Of 1870
acres on Gunbarrel Hill in Boulder
county that was summer titled IN 1903
averaged SOA bushels the acre, while
an adjoining field was a total failure.
Another field across the corner was
moved for hay, while still another adj
Joining field made nineteen bushels
and another ten bushels. Then a field
Of about 200 acres two miles from the
first field was summer TILED in 1909
and made an average Of twenty-six
bushels. while the average of the
whole district was only about ten bush
els. This goes to show that the short
crops of 1910 we're not so much the
fault Of the climate as to the slack
methods OF farming.
Now that we have had a liberal
amount Of snow this winter and spring,
the dry farmer should get busy and
double disk all land not already In
crops, just as sooD as the ground is
dry enough to work. Disking viii put
the surface In condition so that the
rains win be more readily absorbed,
and in case the weather should be dry
and windy It will prevent evaporation
Last spring I disked part Of a field In
March, then early in May we listed the
field In corn. The part that was disked
was In fine condition with moisture
fourteen inches deep, while the part
not disked was 30 dry and hard we
could hardly list It at all. The disked
part made good growth with a small
ear on nearly every stalk, while that
not disked never got more than a foot
high the season long. Every one farm
ing on the semi-arid plains where the
average precipitation is less than
eighteen inches should carefully sum
mer till a part Of their land every year,
because ordinary methods or the way
they farm back east will fail about
one year in two.
What Is meant by summer filling is
to disk after the binder or at least re-
move the grain as soon as possible,
then double disk which should be done
again in the spring as soon as the
frost Is out of the ground and it dry
enough to work, but do not disk too
deep, not more than three inches.
Then Dlow during June or early July
not less than six inches 0 more than
eight, using the packer every half day
after the pillow and the harrow every
night. The %subsurface packer should
be used while the soil IS moist. OF It
viii not pack the under part of the fur
roW slice sufficiently to make good con-
nection with the subsoil. The reason
for not blowing unirrigated lands deep
er than eight inches is that in order
to obtain good results the plowed part
must have good connection with the
subsoil, for M packer yet devised will
firm the under part sufficiently. The
air spaces in the plowed soil viii break
the capillary attraction from below,
so that no matter how much moisture
Is stored It will be of no use to the
growing crop unless there should come
a soaking rain that would settle all
the plowed part, exclude the surplus
air and restore connection with the
subsoil. We must do with the sub
surface packer what nature often fails.
TO do 10 the arid region. In summer
filling do not pillow too early as it
would then be more difficult to keep
the weeds down