The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1912-07-25
FLOWING
OR 81
A Question OF Grave Interest
Among Farmers

what is the DaSlc principle OF R0Ot
farming7 Ask this question of an,
good farmers, and nine out of tel
will tell you it is deep blowing first
followed by proper cultivating there
after. A majority of the ten inquir
les will bring forth instances OF
actual experience where such a test
has been made and had proven sue
~cessful.
And yet, Hand County, and per
haps South Dakota's average depth
of cultivation is placed at between
four and six inches. The differnce
between deep blowing and the shall.
low cultivation is important mainly
in conserving moisture. The deeper
the ground is loosened up the more
readily will rains soak down in the
loose ground which becomes a reser.
volr to hold the moisture as it
falls any time of the year. Where
the hard sub-soil is not loosened the
blowing dries o ut very quickly. and
makes regular weekly rainfalls alb
solutely necessary during the grow.
ing season.
Years of experience by our older
farmers proves that in half the sea-
sons of their twenty to thirty years
farming here, the rainfall has been
irregular. In fact a dry spell of
two or more weeks is not uncommon.
The shallow blowing can not stand
SO long without rainfall. because the
crop has no reservoir to draw upon
for its moisture. But the crops on
deep titled land can stand quite a
severe dry spell and still come
through in fairly good shape.
This information we gather from
experienced farmers, and the writer
takes it as accepted and proven logic.
Now then, how shall we proceed
to put every acre of Hand County
cultivation down to the proper depth
and what is that depth?
This is a question of tn. most vital
import to the future of agricultural
South Dakota.
The idea that a man should spread
out over an immense acreage with
hurried farming and gamble on the
chance of getting the right kind of
weather to produce his crop, does
not appeal to the farmer who looked
at his 300 acre wheat field last year.
for instance, and knew that he would
never cut an acre of it. Better by
far to pillow so acres IL to 16 inches
deep and be sure of harvesting every
acre OF it.
So far there has been several meth
DDS tried of loosening up the sub
soil. Some pillow s to 10 inches deep
with an ordinary pillow set as low as
possible; some use a disc deep tiller,
which goes from 10 to 18 inches
deep; some follow a gang pillow right
along in the same furrow with a
walking pillow and go 10 to IL inches;
some use a sub. soiler in about every
other furrow. and 60 down with it
about ID to IL inches. This SUBJ
soiler is a small plow and it does not
turn up the bottom soil, but is mere
ly intended tn gouge in the sub.soil
and loosen it up. Then there is the
other method of using dynamite, ex-
perimented with in various places.
1t is said TO do the work. but is very
expensive.
And the question of expense has
kept many a farmer from going to
the depth needed in this country,
but you stop to figure that this one
deep blowing shows results for many
years, it is quite evident that it will
not have to be done very often. Also
the increased yield in any dry year
will pay a very handsome price for
the expense of deep blowing.
We have one instance in Park twp
where an eleven acre tract SUBSIDIZED
seventeen years ago is still produc-
ing more than the adjoining cult
walton. This is vouched for by Reg
lister of Deeds Davis, C. M. Weiblin,
and Geo. A. Mckay, so that it is alb
solutely authentic.
So far as known there is but one
draw back to some deep blowing. If
the deep soil is thrown on top by
blowing it does not produce well the
first year when planted to small
grain. After exposure to the wealth
er our under soil is very productive.
Those who have faith in this prin-
ciple of deep tilling. believe that it
should be done Immediately after
the grain is harvested. so as to catch
and retain all the moisture that falls
before the next seeding time. 1t is
safe to say that since August /, 1911.
Hand County has had enough rain
fall to produce a splendid crop in
every one Of her 40 t~ownships-if
that rainfall had gone into a IL to 16
inch reservoir in our cultivated lands.
Several plow factories are max.
ing deep till plows, and sub sellers,
ETC., and any implement deale,
would probably furnish detailed In.
formation concerning them to those
interested in this subject. The Press
believes it is the most impor
tant question TODAY for our IanC
owners and farmers to consider, be
cause the experts claim that IL in
ches of rainfall annually is s~uficien
to produce a crop, while our averag,
rainfall will go from Is to 20 inches