The Raymer enterprise., 1915-10-07
FARMING ON DRY LAND
Deep Flowing Gives Proper Sub
soil Conditions.
Subsurface 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 misconeeption of the facts Dry
farming is branch by itself. new
agriculture. writes Maj. ]. S. Muir.
ply in Denver Field and Farm The
soil and water physics are entirely diff.
ferent; 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 II
impossible to raise profitable crops
without the right subsoil conditions
which can be obtained by one method
only-deep plowing.
Some folk think this deep blowing
proposition is hobby with me, and
that ] am riding it too hard. ! think
differently and repeat, 1T is the es
sence OF dry farming" And there is
another thing my experience con.
vinces me OF. and 1t 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 IL. II seems TO 20 through sort
or aging or ripening process-and 1
believe that more fertility is thus lib.
Grated and made available; also be-
lieve II creates and maintains condi.
tons 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 a great hobby oe II. w. Campbell.
who has preached pretty good gos-
pei generally. ! do not take SO much
stock in it. My own experience leads
me to the conclusion that this idea is
overworked in certain quarters.
In the first place. no packer has yet
been made that will pack the bottom
OF the furrow-sliee when the plowing is
ten inches deep and this is what a
packer Is supposed to do: and. again.
summer-tilled land or fall-plowed land
needs no packing ii ii has been plowed
deep enough. for the contact between
the furrowslce and the subsoil is com.
plete after the plowing has laid over
winter, OF course, In comparatively
shallow spring plowing, ! believe the
packer is helpful; but have never yet
seen a packer that did any more effect.
i've work than good disk, set straight
and weighted down
The average observant farmer will
iudl Httuo dIt HIS WUISt enc
mics. There are thousands of fields
in the West which ten years ago
were native sod and that are today
abounding with Russian thistle. wild
oats, suniowers and other vicious
weeds; and In the most of those fields
the weeds are taking more moisture
and fertility than the crop. The weeds
must be eradicated. In the lexicon OF
the dry farmer it is a crime against
heaven and the human race to permit
weeds to grow and go to seed When
you become dry farmer you will grow
to SO detest weeds that you will get
up in the night and walk mile to kill
one. Another practice find inyalu
able IS narrowing growing grain.
first sweep over the field with light
harrow Just as the first blades are com.
ing through the ground and as often
thereafter as necessary, depending on
the conditions.