The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-10-03
DRY FARM ESSENTIAL
Ideas Of Practical Farmer OF
Need of Deep Flowing.
Very First Requisite In the conserva
ton Of Moisture-Prevents Forma-
ton of What Might BE Called
a PIoW-Pan.

kota Dry Farmer.)
II / were asked what Is the one th1ng
above all other things necessary In dry
farming would say deep plowing. For
purposes of dry farming all of the sub
soil in this state lying west of Red
river Is practically the same. and Is
composed of drift brought here during
the glacial period. one of the most stu
pendous events this old earth ever ex.
perienced. Now, this subsoil or drift
is chiefly decomposed or disintegrated
rock, and has all the crop-producing
properties, such as nitrogen, lime, pot
ash and phosphorus, which are the
elements especially needed in cereal
production. Deep plowing is the very
first essential in moisture conserva-
ton, as the thing it does is to increase
the absorbing storage capacity of the
soil; and the first step in dry farming
Is to get water into the soil, and deep
blowing is the first aid in this par
ticular.
Then, too, deep blowing prevents
the formation of what might be called,
for the want of better name,
plow-pan | have examined literally
hundreds of fields, and never yet ex-
amined field, in a dry year espe-
cially, that this plow-pan would not
be in evidence when the blowing was
less than seven inches. This ploW-
pan is caused chiefly from the pressure
of the subsoil, producing sort OF a
glazed surface, and this prevents any
proper contact between the furroW-
slice and the subsoil. In dry farming
the blowing should be SO deep that you
would find it quite impossible to find
where the furrow-slice ends and the
subsoil begins When that condition
is present there Is always a proper
contact between the furrow-slice and,
without even thinking, you can see
that this is necessary, when you are
depending chiefly on the water stored
in the soil, which you get by capil-
| larry and not on free water, to mature
your crop. Furthermore, when this
plow-pan exists, the average rainfall,
up to one inch, never penetrates the
subsoil at all, any more than 1t did
the sod, and for the same reason.
The subsoil is the farmers reser-
yoir for the storage water that sup
plies the moisture during the season.
| After you have once plowed your land
to, say, depth of ten inches, it is
not necessary, of course, to pillow 30
deep each year. When l summerztll
a piece of land l plow deep, for this
is the time to bring up new soil 80
as to give 1t plenty Of time to become
weathered. Now, as soon as the crop
is harvested on this land the next
season | disk it Immediately; and
when plow it for the next crop, and
1t should be done that fall is possible
/ only pillow it about six inches deep.
Some four years ago | acquired
piece of land that had been titled ESQ
calD for twelve years. No part oil
this land was ever plowed five inches
deep. and | determined to get down
into it, and l did Now estimate
and my men thought by estimate con
servative, that 1t took full thirc
more power to break up this hardpar
formed by twelve years pillow pressure
than 1t would to break the origina
prairie sod. l find that the average
farmer-and the average farmer is al
ways attempting to do more than his
| fn0
more than five inches deep, and he
will come nearer blowing four inches
J Turning four or five inches of the TOT
soil over this year and Topping it bach
next year, Is not dry farming; it ism
farming at all; and the man who fol
lows that slip-shod system, whether
he is handling 100 acres or 1900 acres
10 going to lose out.
Now you might properly ask RICH
J here: How deep do you advocate
blowing in beginning this SYSTEM"
, answer: mot less than eight inches
and nine would be better" You car
always pillow deeper in the spring ant
early summer than you can in thu
summer proper or fall, and the LANE
should never be plowed when dry.
want to say right here, II you have
piece of land that is full of weeds
and that has been farmed indifferently
like the average in the western part o
the state, just double disk that land thu
first thing in the spring. This diskini
; will break the crust, establish a mulch
conserve the moisture in the soil ant
enable the spring rains to penetrate
( also 1t will help to terminate millions
of weeds seeds. Then about June !
or as soon thereafter as possible, pillow
that land eight inches deep. follow thu
plow promptly, with harrow-an'
when I say promptly, | mean the da!
you pillow, and the hour you pillow woult
be better. Now sweep over that liant
: with a harrow-and 1t should be ,
fairly heavy harrow for this work
after the crust caused by the sui
and rain and prevents evaporation o
moisture, but 1t re-establishes tn
: mulch, drives the moisture down an'
kills more weeds. Keep this field goo'
and black all the next summer.
Spraying Compulsory.
SPRAYING has become compulsory IL