The Ordway new era. (Ordway, Colo.) 1902-1927, 1914-06-19
DRY-FARM PRINCIPLES
BeNEFirs REsuLTiMo SOON BE
COME EVIDENT TO FARMER.
importance Of Packer and Other I'm
pismsnts Fully Realised BY Early
ssttiers-summsr Rains Sup
ply Needed Moisture.


There are few districts in the west.
ern provinces and very few farmers In
any district but what would be greatly
benefited by more careful and intel.
ligent application Of dry-farming prin.
ciples to their operations ON the land.
These principles embody the easen-
tial elements Of al good cultural meth
DDS. 'Thoroughneas and System" and
are based on an experimental and
scientific knowledge Of the nature and
requirements Of the soil and the va
riety and dependAbility Of the climatic
conditions peculiar to ones own local.
ity. writes John Trumbull Of SaSk-
katchewan In Farmers Advocate.
The benefits resulting from the EN-.
ployins dry-farmins methods In the
handling Of western soils soon became
evident to many Of the early settlers
in the arid and semi-arid districts, dur
ing dry seasons and dry spells in many
SEASONS. They sought to follow these
methods in measure. a. far az the
means At their disposal would permit.
This was before the fame of Mr.. Camp
bell had reached their ears, or his
doctrines had been ~ clearly expound-
ed ~ they now are. While the packer
and other dry-farming implements nee
essary to fully carry out the system
were lacking. It was evident they fully
realized their importance by the many
schemes and homemade contrivances
tried and used in cultivatins and pack
ing for the control and eradication of
weeds and the receiving and conserva-
ton of moisture In the soil.
Moisture supply.
Tho cardinal principles Of dry farm
ing are now 20 universally understood
that little explanation u required. See
ing We are dependent upon the sum.
mel. rains - the greatest source al
our moisture supply. It 10 surely wis
dom ON our part to endeavor to take
the greatest possible advantage OF
what IL offered In this way by having
. goodly portion of our land under
summer tillase each year whether 1t
be breaking the virgin prairie. thus
preparing new land for next seasons
crop. or summer-fallowing land that
hes already been in crop.
The blowing should be done well. a.
early In June a. possible and from
I'VE to six inches deep. We do our
breaking as early in June a. we can
and do not favor breaking much after
July II In, n for various reasons the
cod does not rot 70 we'll except in un-
usually wet seasons. This we put into
good tilth and texture with disk har-
rows and plank drag: We prefer the
plank drag to the packer on breaking.
a. It nils up holes and levels It OH bet
ter, facilitating the rotting process,
and IL handy for hauling on stray
stones. IA
The land intended for summer till.
age should. a. tar ~, possible. have
had some kind Of surface cultivation
the previous fall, In fact, all stubble'
land should be 20 treated II possible,
AZ this prevents undue loss of what
moisture may yet be In the soil by
evaporation during the dry fall days,
and At the same time minsles the stub
BILE roots and fiber with moist earth 80
that they more readily rot and decay
when turned under by the pillow.
Hitherto the disk harrow has been
about the only implement we could
use at this job. This at times, how
ever. where the grain had been lodged
and . heavy stubble had been left, did
not do very good work; in such cases
1t was necessary to plow or await q
convenient opportunity to burn the
stubble. have often tried to figure
out something that would cut under.
meath the stubble roots from the rear
- the ozer-cut principle of, the disk
harrow requires much pressure and
angle to turn them out and has a bad
habit Of riding over the strawy
patches, etc.
Improving BY Fences.
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