Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1916-02-19
DRY FARMING is SCIENTIFIC
(Continued from page one) -

turned In the form OF manure Tbes
will of necessity be crops that co
be cultivated. because frequent cult
walton is the one Indispensable esseu
tial to successful dry farrning. On
most successful wheat growers tn
the ones who cultivate most. Dee,
lplowdng, frequent narrowing to kee,
the top soil loose and the weed,
down, spring narrowing to break th.
crust formed by saturation by SNOW
water and spring rains, the supplyins
of nitrogen by summer fallowing
growing OF legumes or by supplying
manure, rotation and livestock are al
factors IN the success OF dry farmers
A loose top surface composed of par.
ticles ranging In size from a pea to
a small marble, Ia better moisture
conserver than dust mulch and af-
fords a more free access OF air. TIL
age cannot create moisture, but 1T
| can store it and make 1t available for
plant growth when needed. The ir-
rigator supplies water when needed
by raising his headgates. In applying
| it the air Is necessarily driven out
of the soil and transformed that
results i'm the loss of much of the
moisture he has applied. The dry
farmer LIS teaching him the benefits
of cultivation as compared to over
irrigation. The dry farmer who has
20 inch rainfall probably has as
much water for the use of plants as
the irrigator who has 40 inches, be
cause through failure to cultivate
the irrigator permits so much of his
moisture to escape through evapora-
tion-
Water can be stored to a great
depth and still be available. The
small feeding roots of wheat, pene-
trate to depth of nine feet, oats
seven, barley five and a half, peas
five, potatoes two and a half and
beans two. Alfalfa roots go down
10 or 20 feet. The moisture that is
available depends upon the depth the
roots go, or the extent OF which
water stoned below the root growth
Uses to meet them. Soil conditions
argely determine this Moisture wdIl
eak through gravity subsoil and
'ecome lost. A clay subsoil or hard
'am prevents the downward flow and
makes Ut possible with proper sur
ace hllage to obtain moisture be-
ween the mulch and the clay deposit
to mature a good crop.
loisture also flows sidewise, and a
mall hard spot ON the surface will
onstantly drain the soil through
vaporation Of considerable area
1t.
Dry farming by many is little UNI
erstood and is regarded i'm the hight
an innovation 1t LIS only working
harmony with natures laws. When
lese are understood and applied the
lemends of risk and uncertainty will
2 largely removed. Frost and rain
VII cannot be regulated, but their ef- ,
cts can be mitigated. Conditionsl 8
'mpel the dry farmer to study ma s
res laws and he may rightfully be
'nsidered the really scientific farmer.
delyes often natures truths and
'phes them where they are under
God. 1t lis this fact alone that
lables him to compete with the ir- n
gator and the knowledge gained will v
'entually make the great plains of t
aho that cannot he artificially sup
led with moisture a land of pros d
'rous homes. In order to achieve
lis end without delay, liberal finan-
al aid must be given to farmers. !.
iii Is the one universal asset, Farm a
oduets In the United States amount h
the enormous sum of ten billions s
dollars per annum, more than
rec times the value of all the real
oney in the United States and six
mes the amount ON deposit i'm all :
e banks. 1t is high time that more =
bention should be given to financing !.
Q farmer. Practically an legislation r
rbalning to finance has been for the -
nent OF manufacturing and COM -
ercial Interests. The American far
n should be supplied with money
as favorable terms as the bust
S. man or manufacturer and it's up
Legislature of Idaho to solve
s problem. Given this aid. and |
ppiyig our boys and girls with a l.