The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-07-03
Minot, N. Dak., July l, 1913.

Minot, n Dak, July l, 1918.
To the Editor:
Never, since we began to make agri-
cultural history in this corner of the
moral vineyard, has the idea Of the
man who practices the practical ap-
plication Of dry farming principles
deep plowing and moisture conserva-
ton above everything else-been so
completely vindicated as they have
been during the past few months.
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 begin
ming of the season had anywhere
from 4 to 10 feet of moisture con-
tent-depending on how long he has
farmed right; he paid particular at
tention to weed eradication, and those
consumate 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
lightest it has been for 13 years, wor-
ried this man not at all; his cultural
methods were such that his crops
needed little surface moisture, and he
was sure of I. crop from the begin
ming, even if we did not have 40 per
cent of the normal rainfall from April
to August. Also, being a student of
his business, he knows that we get
normally, more than half our yearly
precipitation during April, May, June
and July, and as the records show that
we never got less than 40 per cent of
the average for these months, he is
justifed-in going fishing. But!
What. about the other farmers who
plow only 4 inches deep and whose
land is foul with every vicious weed
known in this region? Well! In the
first place this man having provided
no reservoir in which to conserve the
moisture Of last year was little bene-
fitted by the fine rain Of last fall.
Then as he had no fall plowing he had
to plow the land or disc in his crop
this spring.
Some of it he plowed,-but being
crowded for time he disced in the last
of it.
He got down no deeper on the
plowed portion than it was previously
plowed- about 4 inches-even this he
left exposed to the drying winds Of
spring for 2 OR 3 days before harrow
ing, SO that half Of the moisture in
the shallow furrow slice he turned
over escaped into the atmosphere be-
fore he got around to plant the seed.
Then the continued dry weather, be-
ing conducive to weed growth, the
weeds got started before the planted
seed, and they have kept the advan-
tape up to this time.
In fact, the weather vicissitudes of
the past ten weeks precludes the pos
sibility of harvesting even half a crop
on such lily prepared ground this
year. There are, in fact, hundreds of
disced-in fields in this territory that
will not pay for the time and labor of
harvesting and threshing.
It makes one think how thriftless
and unscientific is our agriculture to
go into one of these miserable fields
and see the Russian cactus and tumb-
ling weed thick as hair on dogs
back and the few half-starved spears
of grain making stubborn but un-
equal fight for existence.
On the other hand, can take you
into fields-some of them adjoining
those worthless felds-that will run
around rs bushels of wheat with just
fair conditions from now on.
Dry farming is properly called the
science of farming as applied to ag-
ricultural operations in region OF
limited rainfall. 1t is not hothouse
science; it is common sense.
1t is the method by which the nat
ural 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 de-
veloped; it 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.
When you consider that practical
experiments have demonstrated that
it takes about 600 pounds of water to
produce one pound of dry matter,
and as there is usually about as much
weight of straw as there is Of grain,
then it would take about 36 tons of
water to produce one bushel of wheat.
One inch of water distributed over
an acre Of land weighs 226,OOO pounds,
or 113 tons.
Now, using round numbers, inches
of rainfall over an acre would be
more than thousand tons and if this
could be utilized it would mean at
least 25 bushels Of wheat to the acre.