Tombstone epitaph., 1915-09-05
DRY FARMING TILLAGE
Very Much Depends on Farmer
 and Equipment at Hand.
Medium Sandy losm, Free From hardpan and Clay is Best Adapted Works Up Easily and Holds
 the Moisture We'll.

While perhaps 320 acres or a half section is as much as can ordinarily be titled under dry farming methods by one man, very much depends upon the man and equipment. It is seri- ous mistake for anyone to undertake to farm more than he can attend to without sighting any of his work. The soil best adapted to dry farming is a medium sandy loam. free from gravel. hardpan and clay, writes F. A. Randall of Idaho in Orange Judd Farm CT. It works up easily and holds mois- ture well. For its proper cultivation We need disk. moldboard blows. har. rows. press drills and roller. The disk blow is used in sagebrush and mold board blow for the older soils. My plan Is preparing storage for water is deep blowing by summer fallow method. close narrowing and continu- ous narrowing after rains. This keeps the surface soil loose, freely admit ting all precipitation and prevents rap i'd evaporation. It also keeps the fields very free from weeds.
 The practical crops grown are wheat, oats. barley. potatoes. alfalfa and peas. Flowing must be deep. blow nothing less than inches. the large majority of my farm is stirred to a depth of 10 inches at each operation. By so doing I provide a deep reservoir for water storage. Flowing to this depth. of course. requires power and here Is where I differ in judgment from many of my neighbors. We have horse pow. CT. mule power. gasoline tractors and steam engines. have tried all and am thoroughly convinced that there Is no power equal to good mules.
 Now. good blowing means something more than deep blowing. Half the ad vantages of deep blowing may be lost by careless blowing. I insist that ev. cry furrow turned Is never more in width than the size of the share. There must be no cut and cover proposition. but all dirt must be completely turned. If the ground Is weedy or not in good condition, frequently blow the field a second time.
 begin sowing winter wheat from August l5 to September 20. Spring wheat is sown just as early as it Is possible to get in the fields after the frost is out. The grain is drilled in, not broadcast, and nothing but the press drill used. With it the seed is sown at a more even depth and the surface packed over the seed. giving 1t a much better covering and seed bed. Disk and harrow are used to pGlverize the soil. From three to five harrowings are given the field, the number Of operations depending on the ground and the amount of rainfall.
 do not use the disk unless the ground Is hard, weedy or sodded. For ordinary harrow, the spike or drag har. row is always preferable. The weedef is another handy tool that comes into play whenever weeds become bother, some. The surface soil is worked up into a mulch. usually from l to 2 inches deep. and must be carefully har. rowed after every hard rain to pre-. vent its packing or forming a crust If the field is very dry use the roller for the purpose of packing the surface but under ordinary conditions. or where the soil contains any trace oi moisture, the barrow is better. The surface packer is splendid tool to use on heavy soil, but it does little or nc good on light soils. harrow wheat at least three times after 1t Is up. Il the ground crusts after a rain, it is necessary to harrow, and if the weeds are getting a start on the grain 1t i: necessary to harrow. In fact. you cannot harrow too much.