The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-09-18
has had one years start.

it is of the utmost Importance to i'm
prove our methods of cultivation.
While no amount of cultivation can
increase the rainfall, yet deep plow-
ing and thorough cultivation can
greatly increase the available supply
of moisture-deep blowing, in order
that we may have cistern, so to
speak, over the land, a great capac-
ity for water storage; and then such
cultivation as will prevent the mois-
ture stored from escaping except
through the leaves Of the plants. In
time like this, the approved meth
DDS of what is called dry farming
should be used in regions where the
ordinary humid methods of farming
as rule prove successful.
All this implies greater working
capital on the farm; but, the time
has come when, if we are to farm
successfully, we must have greater
working capital than in times past,
when we were simply harvesting the
stored fertility of the ages and mag
ming that this was real farming.
Still another method, not of pre-
venting drouth, but Of mitigating its
secondary results, is the use of the
summer slo Farmers whose pas
lures were burned up this year, and
who have a summer silO, will appre-
ciate the value of silage kept over
to meet just such conditions. The
time is coming when no man who is
engaged in raising stock in any part
Of the country will feel entirely safe
unless he has a silo filled with corn
or sorghum grown the year proceed
ing. For no matter in what part of
the Mississippi valley we are farm
ing, we must expect drouth cOndi-
tons in July and August, when the
fly will be torment and when pas
ture will become short and bare. 1t
will pay to have a summer silo, to
prevent us from eating our blue
grass and other pastures into the
ground, and thus weakening the
stand of the next year, and offering
a very cordial invitation to ragweed,
foXtail and other weeds to occupy
the ground.
Our readers in the drOuth strick-
en- sections may confidently hope for
a bumper crop next year. Two
drouth years seldom come in success
sion. If the lows have gone on the
northern route this summer, they
may reasonably be expected to take
the southern route next summer.
There is an equalization going on
among the forces of nature.
Let us look at the history of past
drouths In 1894, the drouth was so
severe in southern Iowa Eve were
then doing a great deal of farming) !
that corn sold at 60 cents bushel
between farmers, whereas, the ordi-
nj 1~ no n
not been more than half of that. The
next year corn was sold in that same
section as low as ) cents a bushel, |
and soft corn in northern Iowa at ] 0
cents. They had a great drOuth in
Missouri in 1901, which also affected
southern Iowa and Kansas and Ne
braska as we'll. In 1902, we had a |
bumper crop all over these sections.
We had a drouth of more moderate
character, which began in October,
1910, and continued through the
summer of 1911. Rains came in the
fall of 1911, and the result was a
bumper crop in all the drouthy sec
tions in 1912, almost two crops in
one. So if what has been will be-
we may reasonably expect a bumper
crop in the drouth stricken sections
Of 1913; and we believe that those
who SOW their winter wheat in tears
will reap with JOY next harvest.
As to why these big crops follow
drouths, we can not say that we
know. We thought ten years ago
that we did know. We believed tier
that severe drouth does to land what
no pillow or other instrument of cult
walton ever could do; that this
drouth so eXhausts the water in the
soil that the soil particles are fore
ed apart and the physical condition
is made such that the plant can uti-
lie fully not merely the plant food
ordinarily in the soil, but the excess
OF plant food developed in the soil
during the drouth, which the plants
we're not allie to use on account OF
the lack of moisture. We still think
there is good deal in this theory.
In our letters from abroad we told
of an experiment we saw in Scotland,
OF tomato culture in pots filled with
earth that had been heated. We call
ed attention to the experiments that
were conducted at Rothamsted two
or three years ago on the same line, |
and the theory advanced that the
neat klllcQ tno amman bacteria III
the soil, and while killing part of the
useful bacteria, brought about condi-
tions that enable those left to null
tiply with extraordinary rapidity. We
think there is something in that also.
But no matter about the philos-
ophy of it; leave that to the scientist. |
The facts are that with any reason
able or normal amount of rainfall, |!
we have bumper crop the year fol-
lowing a severe drouth. There is at
least some comfort in this; some
thing that gives heart of hope and
makes the man who is deeply dis
couraged now look forward to a |
brighter future. Hope springs eter-
nal in the human breast" of which
we had good illustration during |
the winter before last. One of our
subscribers in the semi-arid district, |
after telling us that they had had no
rain for three years, and that two
thirds of the people had left, went on
to say, in renewing his subscription,
that they had just thirteen inches
of snow, SO the future was all bright
and rosy. He expressed his pro-