The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1914-01-24
PRACTICAL DRY FARM
There Are Three Essentials for
Farmer to Consider.
Depth Of Soil, Amount of Precipitation
and Evaporation Are Conditions
That Go Far for Success
or for Failure.
By NORMAN E. HoLpEND

In speaking OF dry farming from
practical standpoint. il would seen
that the conditions which so to make
dry farming possible should be of first
consideration. There are three essen
tials for the dry farmer TO consider be
fore attempting to dry farm. They are
depth of soil. amount of precipitation
and evaporation.
One attempting TO dry farm witt
less than four feet of soil is handi
capped TO commence with. There are
many places in the west where there
is from is TO 20 inches OF soil on TOT
of bed of gravel. Some OF the mos
beautiful laying land that | have ever
seen has this condition. and the wors
feature of it is that it has been filed
on by prospective homeseekers, be
cause it means utter failure for thost
and also a black eye to others.
Take. for practical results, this sea
son on my own farm in Dillon, Mont
Everything has done well, the farm has
paid, despite the fact that it has beeL
dry A crop has been raised with one
and one-half inches rainfall from the
time it was planted until harvested
There was no rain during the mali
growing season; we have had hoi
winds continuously The results arr
most encouraging Why was this pos
sible?
With a soil averaging 10 feet ever!
1rnn nf nnnictncn II nnGSihin n
store was stored When the crop Wa'
taken off this land in the fall of 1907
a disk harrow was used Immediately
In 1909 the first treasment 1t had wa
an early double disking. Then th,
common spike-toothed harrow was con
tinuously used until freezing weathe.
in the fall The spring of 1910 it was
| seeded to different crops, consistin
| chiefly of Durien wheat (Kubach), al
| though there were other crops, amons
| them Red Turkey winter wheat, seed
ed the middle OF August, 1909, whicl
has given most excellent results
There was fax. corn, potatoes and al
most every kind of garden produce.
| And right here the success of garden
| truck on dry land should be mention
| ed | have either read or heard SOM
| speaker say that one should have lit
tie spot that Is susceptible OF irriga
ion to supply the table with garden
ielicacies. This is not necessary.
were asked what one line of dr..
farming considered the most success
1 Fx,l - 10 do, i,,a
The most splendid results can be oh
tanned from the dry-land garden.
a general belief that lettuce, rad
shes, young onions and the like al
not up to quality ia the dry-land gar
| den. This Is not true, as the yer,
highest quality OF this stuff can b,
produced on the dry-land garden.
The past season. while it has beer
the driest we have any record of, W,
have had lettuce, onions, radishes
cauliflower, tomatoes. cabbage. car
rots, parsnips, garden peas. kohl rabi
,urnips, and in fact everything tina
can be grown in our altitude, which
is $500 feet This garden produc
takes rank right along with that of ii
rigation. The tonnage is not quite q
arge. but the quality more than of
sets this.
This year we have tried out tn
sugar beet, and while there has BEEF
no tests as yet for the sugar, the yielt
has been splendid, averaging about Il
tons per acre, some individual beet'
weighing nine pounds, while garden
beets went 31a pounds, carrots TX
pounds and onions one pound.
An acre or two thoroughly prepare,
for the garden Is the best investmen
a dry farmer can have. This lane
should be titled a whole year in ad
vance with view of conserving tn,
moisture. and if possible, fortified
A bunch of SO chickens will max,
enough fertilizer for garden of tw,
acres This fertilizer should b,
placed on the land the season befor,
it is cropped and should be thorough.
worked into the soil. Two or tire,
acres thoroughly prepared and plant
cd to garden will supply the table
keep COW and raise two or tire,
| MOS