The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1916-04-27
SOIL FOR DRY FARMING
Most Desirable Land Is Sandy or
Silt Loan.
Can BE Plowed Deep and Readily
Combined With Organic Matter
Making Rich Seed Red-AIso
Readily Absorbs Moisture.

Primarily the success or failure OF
the dry-land farmer depends upon the
nature OF the soil he is tilling The
most desirable land for dry'farming
operations is sandy or silt loan hve
or more feet in depth. Such a soil
can without difficulty be plowed deep
and is easily cultivated and readily
combines with organic matter making
a rich, deep seed bed. writes DIR. w.
Il. Taylor in Denver Field and Farm.
A sandy or silt loan readily absorbs
moisture and maintains perfect capil'
iarity. Shallow land or land where
the surface soil is thi nand sub
soil is sand or gravel is very undesir-
able and to attempt to raise crops on
such ground in semi.arid regions is
labor and seed lost except when the
summer rains ere frequent.
While a gravel or sandy subsoii
will readily absorb water neither con
dition will maintain capillarity. Again
IL the water line or table is too near
the surface, that is. so near that the
roots will extend into the water, they
will die. hence the soil should be thor
oughly examined for depth OF FIVE
| or six feet. The successful dry-land
farmer and may say any farmer
must religiously observe four impor-
tant operations and the neglect of
any one will imperil his crop or at
least impair the yield. The seed bed.
fertility. seed and plant cultivation
/ are interdependent and like chain
that can be no stronger than its weak
est link, the harvest will correspond
TO the weakest step in the evolution
| of production We must remember
that pedigreed seed like the purebred
animal will soon become derelict "
the proper care, the right food and a
comfortable home Is not provided
hence the necessity for thoroughnesr
in work and an evenness in distribu'
tion from the formation of the seed
bed to the gathering OF the crcp.
Deep plowing is the first step to be
observed in storing water. The sub
soiler is a valuable adjunct to the
plow and materially. assists in loosen
ing the ground below the reach OF the
plow, thereby increasing the porosity
of the hardpan. However, dire results
may come from using a sub soiler II
1t is run so deep that the under sol
is rendered so loose that capillary at
traction is hindered under ordinary
circumstances. The sub-soiler should
not be run deeper than one inch th'
first year, a little deeper providing
the stirred soil is kept compact; II
other words, free from Jumps and all
spaces each succeeding year.
Water will gravitate through thu
lumpy space. but will not come VI
through lumpy soil and air spaces. i
however the ground is disked before
plowing so that when the plow turns
the slices of earth the interstices tina
may exist on the bottom of the fur
row made by the sub-soiler are filled
with pulverized dirt, the contact II
sufficiently compact to insure capil
larity and at the same time loos'
enough to freely admit surface water
The use OF the corrugated roller o
sub-surface packer, run at right angles
with the prevailing wind, prevents IL
great measure the blowing of soil l
stubble, manure and straw is thor
OuRhly mixed in