The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-05-24
FRUIT ON A DRY FARM
Method Given to Make It AbSo-
IuteIy DrOuth Proof.
Before Planting Single Tree Two
Years. Moisture lie Secured by
Flowing Year Ahead and Keep
Ing Ground Cultivated.
(By e. R. PARsoNs)

twenty years ago | published
statement that trees and crops could
be raised anywhere on suitable soil
between the Rocky mountains and Mis-
souri, river, without irrigation. Every
body laughed, some went as far as to
say that such exaggerated statements
only hurt the state, a few took the
hint, others besides myself had ar
rived at this truth, and there are now
shade trees and family orchards all
over the state, few and far between
1t is true. but quite enough for proof
and now after twenty years every
word OF this statement is accepted as
fact.
Now make another statement,
which even the Colorado writer's and
professors are afraid of, and which
the eastern papers altogether decline
to print or believe, yet which is capa-
BILE of proof and will be generally &C
cepted in another twenty years. and
that is that any man can plant a dry
orchard according to the following
method and make it absolutely droutb
proof.
This knowledge will do you more
good now than twenty years hence and
| submie it not for the enlightenment
Of Mr. w. G. Curtis, Mr.. Wallace and
others who affect to see little or no
good in dry farming, but for the bene-
fit of the few who can grasp a truth
In advance of the popular belief and
turn 1t to their own advantage.
Before planting a single tree we go
to work and secure two years mois-
ture for that tree by blowing year
ahead of time, keeping the ground cul-
tivated and digging the holes in the
fall to catch snow and moisture all
winter. Now is the time to get to
work. Pillow the ground as deep as
you can and arrange your lands so as
to bring your dead burrows where the
row of trees is to be; by doing this
the surface is dished toward the tree
and If there is any run Off 1t drains
towards their roots. These dead fur
rows are also of great advantage as
snow catchers.
Now a piece of land prepared in
this manner will accumulate during
an ordinary season from three to four
feet of moist earth from the surface
down, and in the holes after a wei
winter even five or six feet.
Now to dry all this moisture out in
cultivated area without cropping
would take two years or more without
a drop of rain, so that when a young
| fraa 10 DIantod tmn Or thrao foot daaT
in all this moisture 1t is as contenC
absolutely drouth proof, for in the
past thirty years the longest droutt
has been only few months duration
drying out no more than the top sil
or eight inches, which is of no value
whatever to the tree anyway
Then we go to work and impounC
every year ten times as much mois
ture as the tree needs. as follows:
A young apple tree just plantet
uses up a few hundred pounds o
moisture every year, but we Civ,
these trees an area OF 40 feet square
plums and cherries, 20, small fruit
10. Now If you figure out the pre-
cipitation on an area OF so feet square
I,OOO square loel' you Will unu tudt
amounts to about so tons per annun
Now an apple tree from is to 20 year
of age will use up only from 80 to 4
tons per annum. and can live,
necessary. on half of that. SO that It
easy to understand that while the tire
is growing up the orchard is gainin
an enormous amount OF moisture 10
future use and even when the tree
full grown you will have several ton
to the good each year, which you hol
by cultivation in your subsoiI, an