Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-04-14

The accompanying table J. u record of
the rainfall covering u period Of forty
i've year., taken at Brownsville. Texas.
and at Point Isabel. about twenty miles
northeast Of Brownsville. The period from
aud including the year 1911 j. from rec
ords kept at Raymondville. That We are
justified In taking the records Mt Browns
Vile n u fair approximate estimate of
what may be- expected at this point will be-
apparent when IT II known that during the
Same five years that we have taken the
Kaymondville records, the rainfall at
Brownsville was 1908 for the entire five
years while at Raymondville it totalcd
1870. This shows "A pretty close ap-
Proclamation Of the rainfall of the two
points.
| hope every farmer in this section will
cut out the accompanying record and paste
IT up at some convenient place where he
can can refer 10 It and study il. | wish
that he would also preserve my comments
On IL IN this article. and study over il ia
the light Of his own experience. But what
ever value he may place on what | have to
say, there can be no possible question in
the mind of any sane man A. 10 the price
less value of the table. Ii cost fortv-fvc
years of painstaking care TO secure that
record, and II has a greater value 10 the
people OF this section than to any one else
an the United States. IL j. our greatest
good fortune that the weather bureau hap
pens to have a longer and more complete
record OF the rainfall in this section than
OF almost any other portion Of the country.
There l. no occasion for IL To ask the
''oldcst settler for his rccollcctlons of the
weather IN year~ past. lll> memory l. un-
reliable. Here We have the exact chart
of the weather for IN average lifetime and
IL We have any brains IA our ~hull ~ al
we ought to be able to take advantage of
Vt.
Now. keeping In mud the now well e.
tablished fact that our soil i capable of
storing "A vast quantity of water. aud the
further fact that We can. by the use oi the
soil mulch, preserve and hold this moi~-
turc against the time Of need. and also the
further fact that unless We do create the
soil mulch w can not hold that moisture
through two or three months OF dr"uth. let
u examine IN some detail the table aud
study II in the light ct our knowledge aud
experience. Had We started 10 farm ~ this
~roun'r, On the first of January. 1871. what
opportunity would We have had 10 make
"a crop!
We will assume that our soil was new
and consequently dry on january 1. From
that time to May | there was but ID
inches OF rainfall. This would be- dis
couraging. In May there ! 81 inches.
This would doubtless encourage u IT,
plant. but during the succeeding hot
months ot June and july We get but LIS
inches aud by the first Of August our
scanty store of moisture would have been
completely exhausted and our crops burn
cd up. This would be doubly di>cuuraging.
and | have no doubt that all Minnesota
people would have gone back home by this
time. But after they have gone lc, u see
what happens. During The next four
months there il a total rainfall Of li.52
inches and the month of October pro-
duccs enough soaking rains that force the
moisture down 10 great depths.
Dual Farm System.
Suppose that we now divide our farm
into two parts. On ono part We propose
10 plant our crops of corn. kafir and cot
ton aud other crops the next spring On
the rest We will plant our late fall and WIN
ter crops Of pasture and root and winter
feed crops. II i assumed that all of our
land was plowcd and ready on August
first aud that we have continued cultivation
and the maintenance of the soil mulch.
Now follow three months without rain.
Unless the soil mulch i carefully MAN.
tanned during these three months We will
lose all our moisture in the 'and prepared
for spring crops. but if it i carefully cul-
tivatcd. our soil viii bc in Ideal condition
with annie stores to make . crop IN the