The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-04
COL. THORPE HERE
Noted Painter and Dry Farmer
Will Speak Tonight.
He Would Save Moisture and
Raise Crops without Rain.

Col. Freeman Thorpe of Washing
ton. d. c., prominent portrait pain
ter, anc student of agriculture, will
speak tonight at o'clock before the
agricultural committee of the Com
merctal club and all persons who care
to attend the meeting on the conserva-
ton of water. Col. Thorpe believes
that he has solved the conservation
problem. and tonight he will tell of
Of land at Hubert, MINI. Governor
George H. Hodges has been asked to
preside at the meeting.
Col. Thorpe devOteS three months of
the year to portrait painting for state
historical societies, while the rest of
the time he spend in working out his
problem. and giving publicity to the
results of his labors. The government
built a studio for him fOrty-two years
ago on the roof of the capital build
ing at Washington. Among the pres
idents he has painted were Lincoln,
Grant. Garfield, Mckinley and Cleve-
land. He began the portrait of Lin
coin when he was 5 years of age. 1t
was while he occupied the studio at
Washington that he became interested
in the conservation problem.
Eighteen years ago Col. Freeman
purchased the tract at Hubert for his
experiments. He has spent $4,000
which he has made through his brush
in his experimental work. He states
that not a drop of water-rain or
melted snow-has run off of his tract
in the last II years.
The United States department OF
agriculture has become interested in
the experiments and will send q rep
resentative to the tract next spring to
make study of the methods followed.
Works With Houston.
In a letter written to the secretary
Of agriculture, David F. Houston, Col.
Thorpe had the following to say:
"As a result of more than 40 years
of earnest study, with best possible
facilities for research, scientific and
practical, 1 found that farming meth
DDS in general use are sending to the
oceans in damaging floods, each year,
as much soil fertility as is taken from
the soil in our annual farm products.
1 have worked out thoroughly prac-
teal methods of preventing this enor-
nous waste and have them in opera
ton on my demonstration tract at
Hubert, MINI. have given half of
my time and all of my money to these
demonstrations for eighteen years
The educational campaign to get this
to the farmers and get it into general
use for the benefit of the country and
the world, is too much for me unaid-
ed, and 1 respectfully offer to place
at your service this demonstration
tract, with its equipment, my own
time and expert knowledge. for CO.
operative demonstration and educa-
tional work; to continue as long as
you think desirable, under contract.
based on no money compensation for
the use Of the tract or personal wages
for myself" 81
When he selected an experiment
farm Colonel Thorpe picked out poor
land-land that had all kinds of sur
faces. ~ f's'' ~ psis ~
HIS Methods.
In fields that are practically level,
those that have a depression in the
center and those having an elevation
in the center the same method is
used. Colonel Thorpe said: Com
mencing at the corner we plOw a fur
row as deep as we have the power to
plow it, turning the furrOw out onto
the unploWed land clear around the
field. This forms the foundation for
the outer embankment. Then We
plow a strip a few yards wide, accord
ing to the slope, turning the furrow
outward against the first furrow.
Then we pillow back furrowed ridge
clear around the field Inside Of that
we plow a few yards and then another
back furrowed ridge. and SO on until
the center of the field is reached.
The whole field is plOwed with no
more labor than by any ordinary
method Then in disc narrowing the
land run the disc parallel with these
ridges the first time around to raise
the ridges higher We run the disc
only once in a place without tapping
so as to form as many intermediate
smaller ridges.
Nearly all the rainfall will be held
in the little intermediate trenches II
there is more than they will hold it
will be held by the plowed embank-
ments."