Norwich bulletin., 1913-09-13
THE DROUTH AND DROUTH RESISTING
 PRACTICES

MAJ
 Written Specially for The BulIetin)
 Some years ago a good deal was
 heard in agricultural circles about the value of the dust mulch. I remember
 reading quite bit about 1t. l also remember experimenting a little, with
 out any very useful results. Indeed,
 the few effects ] could notice as possi-
 bly traceabIe to the dust" mulch were unfavorab ble, rather than favorable.
 But 1t was really a dust" mulch that
 was involved, you understand: 1. Q. just a light, half-inch thick sprinkl.ng of fine dry dust on top of the ground.
 Such mulch as is made with hoe handle held almost perpendicularly, so the blade merely slides through the
 rhinuest poSsi bic surface. Or such a mulch as could be made with the dou-
 ble-wheel-hOe lifted so the blades merely scraped the top of the dirt. This sort 0f treatment left the under soil compact but kept the exposed surface covered with a fine, almost impalpable sshy dust It was so thin a. heavy dew soaked it, making almost daily re- working essential It was so light that any unusually playful zephyr blew it into the air. There was a good deal of puttering work involved in keeping the dust where it was wanted and in proper shape
 And it didn't seem to amount to any thing, after all was said and done.
 dismissed the idea, at the time, as one that might perhaps be useful on some sorts of soils, but that wasn't for me and my gardens. I'm willing to do my full share of work and butter, if work and butter will bring results. Also, I'm willing 10 try out almost any new idea, if 1t shows even a glimmer of common sense behind it. But l don't believe in clfnging to any method, old or new, on my particular bean patch, unless the method brings about more beans It's beans I'm after,-more beans and bigger beans Pm just as willing To try the ideas of Uncle Zeke HigginbOJham, who doesn't know a phosphate from a phOtOsphere, as those of Professor Bailey, who knows the encyclopedia from 4 to Z if Zeke raises as good beans as the professor Also. I'm willing to test out the pre- fessOr's theories as the pTagmatist's Crotchets, if both have any show of reason in them
 As say, tried out the "dust" mulch scheme. not just one echance-y sea son. but several It wasn't recom- mended as of any value on a wet sum- mer- And it wasn't Nor did it prove of any value in a dry summer-to Al- the next dry season, tried muIching some plants with damaged rye straw from an old stack This didn't work very well, either It certainly kept the surface moist IL also kept the soil cold and little sour, so that the plants were seriously inconvenienced, l and showed it in spindling stalks and sicHying foliage
 This season, when the drouth began 10 declare itself, l hadn't any patent plan for fighting it handy. So I iusr kept the tools going as often as pos sibie, pulled weeds wherever they were Eet-at-able, and whistled for rain:- which didn't come for three long parch- ing months,
 There hasn't been such a drouth in i this valley for 49 years. In 1864 we had one as bad as this if not a little l worse It was known for a generation | among older farmers as the year of | the big drouth" Since then we have had occasional dry seasons, but no | similar baking out \ neighbOr has on | his lawn a branchy maple. He told i me, two weeks ago, that for three ! months there hadn't been enough rain ! 10 even dampen the ground beneath ! tbaJ tree. All over the hills and among | the pastures sturdy hardwood trees i have been dying for q month, the | leaves drying on the twigs and the ! tW1gs themselves breaking off like | brittle pipe-stems- ] don't think there | will be a barrel of apples on all the | hundred and fifty orchards in the val i ley What few apples set have dried l up and dropped off Hay has been a ! practical failure. Half a ton to the acre has been about the average cut Hundreds of acres still remain un- mown for the reason that all the hay which might be obtained by moving wouldn't pay the wages of the men and ] the feed for the teams. Of course. my gardens have suffered. Irrigation is ! out of the question with me. for the ! simple reason that my attainable market wouldn't pay interest and de- | ceriOration charges on the cost of an adequate plant We carried water buckets to help some young plants get | a start till the brook gave out. But that is a pretty hard and slow way to water a garden of five acres. So the most of it has had to be content with dew and two or three tantalizing little dusI-layeT showers.
 Naturally. some crops went out of business. There was a time when the gardens looked pretty sick, now let me tell you.
 But I've pulled some things out Of