The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-07-11
Has Good Ideas
On Dry Farming
There Has Been Plenty Of Rain
This Year-Farmers Did Not
Know How To Use It

Us. Murphy, who is the Agri-
cultural agent Of the 500 rail-
road in North Dakota, has some
good ideas on dry farming. We
quote from an article sent us
recently:
The superabundance of moisture
from last fall put the lands Of
the man who "dry farmed" last
year in fine shape, as his fields
at the beginning of this season
had anywhere from 4 to 10 feet
of a moisture notwithstanding
on how long he has farmed right;
he paid particular attention to
weed eradication, and those con-
sumate robbers are few and far
between on his land. The fact
that the rainfall for April, May
and the first % days Of June
1913 was the ightest it has been
for 13 years, worried this man
not at all; his methods were such
that his crops needed little sur
face moisture, and he was sure Of
a crop from the beginning, even
if we did not have 40 per cent Of
the normal rain fall from April to
August.
There are hundreds of disced
in fields in this territory that
will not pay for the time and Ia
Dor of harvesting and threshing.
1t makes one think how thrift
less and unscientific is our agri-
culture to go into one Of these
miserable fields and see the Rus
sian cactus and tumbling mus
tard thick as hair on a dogs back
and the few halfstarved spears Of
grain making a stubborn but un-
equal fight for existance.
On the other hand, | can take
you into fields-some Of them
adjoining those worthless fields
that will run around 25 bushels
Of wheat with just fair conditions
from now on.
Dry farming is properly call
ed the science Of farming as ap-
piled to agricultural operations
in a region Of limited rainfall.
It is not hothouse science; is is
common sense.
1t is the method by which the
natural rainfall (Which is ample
in every county in North Dakota)
is conserved in the soil, by which
soils are enriched and drought
resisting plants are developed;. lit
is the successful handling Of the
soil for the purpose Of conserv-
ing moisture; it means rotation
Of crops and the summer tillage
Of a part of the land each year
SO as to insure against successive
seasons Of drought.
Dry farming has produced the
best farmers in the world, the
best grains for milling, and the
best feed for stock.
am willing to go OF record
an saying that ths time is not
far distant when the 50 called
scarcity of rainfall will be look
ed upon as one Of Gods bless
ings, and we will be advertising
that fact as an inducement for
people to settle here.
So, l repeat our rainfall is
ample even if We conserve only
80 or 20 per cent Of it.
Water in the soil here is money
in the bank.
Still there are farmers in every
community. where this paper cir
culates who are simply miners
and sappers Of the soil, and some
Of them know this to be a correct
characterization of their practices.
Dire necessity seems to compel
some people to stick to methods
which they know to be wrong.
Again there are those who seem
utterly Indifferent to the gospel
Of better work. The jolt Of the
past few weeks has reached hum
dreds Of the Indifferent kind
and they are beginning to see the
light.
So, my brother farmers. you
have no right to condemn this
country until you just dig up 8
or 10 inches Of the top Of your
farmland after you have done
that a few years you will agree
with me that this is the safest
crop country between the oceans.
NEW LAW STARTS
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