The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-11-04
FARMING ON DRY LAND
Deep Flowing Gives Proper SUBJ
soil Conditions.
subsurfsee Packing Idea Is over
Worked In Certain Quarters
Weeds Are Worst Enemies Of
Average Western Farmer.

Our agricultural friends who come
from the humid states often tell us that
dry farming is nothing but progressive
farming-good farming. This is a seri-
GUS misconception OF the facts Dry
farming is branch by itself. a new
agriculture. writes Maj. ]. s. Muir.
ply In Denver Field and Farm. The
SOIL and water physics are entirely dit.
ierent; for. speaking broadly. dry
farming Is done In capillary waters.
while humid farming is done with free
water In dry farming the water is al.
ways going down and the top drying
up. while in humid farming the free
water is always helping out the surface
moisture and supplying the roots In
the seedbed. Therefore. we find It
impossible to raise profitable crops
without the right subsoll conditions.
which can be obtained by one method
only--deep plowing.
Some folk think this deep blowing
proposition is a hobby with me. and
that ! am riding II too hard think
Inherently and ] repeat, ~ is the es.
sence Of dry farming" And there is
another thing my experience con.
vinces me of. and II is this: Water
that is held in the ground from six to
ten months. the longer the better. Is
much more effective in producing
healthy growth than water recently
placed there or water placed there
about the time the roots are ready to
use II. II seems to &c through sort |
OF aging or ripening process and [ |
believe that more fertility is thus lib. |
Grated and made available; also be. |
lieye II creates and maintains condi. |
uons favorable to the preparation of |
plant food. The gardener and fruit |
grower In the irrigated country likes |
TO get the water In the ground at least |
Two months before he uses II for the |
simple reason have here given: II lib.
crates fertility
Regarding subsurface packing. which |
is great hobby OF II. w. Campbell
who has preached a pretty good gos.
pei generally, ] do not take so much
stock In II. My own experience leads
overworked in certain quarters.
In the first place. no packer has yet
been made that will pack the bottom
cf the furrow-slice when the plowing is
Ten inches deep and this is what
packer Is supposed to do; and. again,
land OF fall-plowed land
needs no packing II II has been plowed
ieep enough. for the contact between
me furrow-slice and the subsoil is com.
plete after the plowing has laid over
winter VI course. In comparatively
shallow spring plowing. | believe the
packer Is helpful; but have never yet
'een packer that did any more effect.
We work than a good disk. set straight
md weighted down.
The average observant farmer will
ldmit that weeds are his worst enc.
MES. There are thousands OF fields
n the West which ten years ago
we're native sod and that are today
bounding with Russian thistle. wild
'ats. sunnowers and other vicious
weeds; and In the most OF those fields
ne weeds are taking more moisture
nd fertility than the crop The weeds |,
must be eradicated. In the lexicon OF
he dry farmer It is crime against
and the human race to permit
'eeds to grow and go to seed When
GU become dry farmer you will grow
o so detest weeds that you will get
p In the night and walk a mile to kill
ne. Another practice | find lnvalu.
BILE is narrowing growing grain.
rst sweep over the field with light
arrow just as the first blades are com.
ng through the ground and as often
hereafter as necessary, depending on
he conditions. have narrowed grain
My once after It started to come up.
nd | have narrowed It three times
gain. depending on conditions. 1t
axes courage, too. when you are unac.
ustomed TO II. to put harrow into
field OF wheat that looks good and
irift a