The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-11
DRY FARMING
How it has Been Employed in States
Where Rainfall is Light

In states like Colorado and Mon
tana. where the annual rainfall is
light and uncertain in quantity from
wear TO year, most interesting results
have been attained by the appllca-
ton of dry farming methods. Inc
rainfall at Denver, Col, has been as
high as twenty-three inches IN a
year and as low as eight and one-haii
inches the average for thlrty-nihe
wears being something over tourleeh
inches. Under such conditions the
moisture of a year of good rainfall
must be stored up for use In year
of little rain. The dry farming sys-
fem has done this successfully
probably in no department oil agri-
culture have results been so astounu'
inc az those secured by the apphca'
ton of improvements and new melh
DDS in handling semi-arid lahus, ~
farming is not all new, but many
things connected with 1t are. IL wa
first practiced in California my
wears ago. 1t was tried in Utan II
1894 and has there been pracuce'
continuously and successfully eve
since II has been practiced IN ore
eon for twenty-five years, where II
Some narts of the state from ten u
twantv bushels of wheat are ralse'
nor acre with an average rainfall o
only ten inches. Eastern "ashlns
ton has been turned from gram
country into an immense wheat hs ,t
, ~, the knowledge of how TO hahui
, re- table lands. and Colorado nov
hos thousands of successful unrrles
/ tad farms Montana has demohstrs
! tad the success of the method an
r the nossibilities of the future are o'
= bevond comprehension DRY larn
mo in the opinion of men III touc
y m;th il is destined 10 reyolutiohiz
, western America. ~
4 Al the present time about on
a fourth of the total wheat crop OIL u
IJnited states is grown in the sem
o orid vest. where the annual preClp
; tation is less than eighteen meme
n II is question of but a comparatiN
: 10 short time when the production
wheat west OF the ninety-eighth me
" idian will exceed the amount gro"
II cost of IL and nine-tenths OF the we
h I'm wheat is and will continue 10
II raised without irrigation on u
It bench lands. , i.
o 4 bureau OF dry land farming nj
e. haep inaugurated by the Unit'
e states department OF agriculture al
I. the agricultural experts OF eve
< western state are devoting gre
n SsoI ~ attention to this importa
At subject Numerous bench lahu
[. detrimental farms are maintained
he national and state government
IT and every effort Is being made
is disseminate the information aihol
8. farmers. The bench land iaruhe
d. have an organization with thousan
is of members called the Dry Farml'
il. Congress. which holds annual &C
II. ventions. These conventions
II largely attended by experts ana
re farmers They are somewhat on |
e. order OF farm Institutes on IT
in scale. Successful dry farmers reia
o. their experiences. Delegates ooi
is from all parts OF the west. :.
in The department of agriculture Il
he aided the movement also by scare
Is inc the world for varieties OF plai
II. tbat will thrive in arid climates a
m. has been singularly successful. Fr'
at the dry steppes of southern hus
ad and the Crimea. where the ram
k, does not average ten inches annua
lp. have been imported the winter q
&" spring wheat now in common use
he the west. together with other val
as ties of grain noted for their drou'
to resisting qualities.
no The main points in dry farm
err are summer following. thYough
We tiyation and the narrowing OF
nd land after every big rain or snow,
th form and preserve a dust blanket
lot mulch When the top OF the sou
ne kept pulverized IL allows all moist
a to be readily absorbed and II pr
on ents baking and cracking. with
OF consequent loss of moisture by CIV
be Grafton. In fact correct methods
do farming will positively hold the m
-ou ture in the ground from one sea
re. TO another. saving for crop purpo
about three.fourths of all the ial
i've Summer following in the west
vic not for the purpose of preserving
att, tility but to store moisture and