Show u I 1 WESTERN NATURE NA lURE STUDIES i By J H PAUL FURTHER REMARKS ON ARID FARMING j I the relative value of ofil il II that part which bleb to Is Insoluble is III isi 11 i r of no n U a pk t food Ii r plan IS can ean take their the food only r of nt weak In the th i i In general eastern Matern Vib rd 01 ii il is found to contain about r nt cot of matter that Is i Ido I lay 52 per cent of L Gu r Western estern arid and awry soil eon y per cent nt ln insoluble matter vM I twit arid and day clay soil only T j per pr I float tal is i insoluble n i an of soluble silica sIka In to the thea 1 a if indicative of 0 thel the degree elir e or o 0 on surface roil Hl i n 1 n eastern pandy eady cent uC of eol ble b 11 t 1 13 per r r i lay ay 75 5 per cent nt and eastern I JI i 9 1 per cent of ot soluble v If t rn m soils oUs contain on the aver r cent nt more of soluble silica II on ea f tern stern soils possess M Humid and Arid Soils Compared I M I im il h observed that the Insoluble d 01 i more abundant in humid in ill i arid rid soils soil in the ratio of or 84 t 4 to 1 Thi i s because be awe more leaching or orv v tl ui if e g ut lut of the soil ingredients oc DC ocr much rain falls fain The sol 11 r n 1111 1 10 MM visa ii a is i very abundant in the soils oha t lle ller f r id d regions making them less leas lesIi M Ii ky leY than Hum those of wet wen regions region A Ar 1 r of oC lime linte and magne SD 1 i 1 f in arid and soils Is helping to Ar kr lr quite uniformly productive an sons show high i it K g s of or solute matter because n i it Int in nt ran n and moisture fall fait to M de dc dei dethe i 1 r the rocks into soil but not noti i gi gL t v remove moe rE th them m from the soil v ra 11 i hinR hing Arid soils lack humus h I i his i 11 is i tin the abandoned life tissues tt ues of o and animals going pine back baete Into aid add water ater nitrogen n and anda a h Humus is found in greatest d in the humid hU d temperate re it fl I is j i the food of microscopic life liCe 1 I soil s il is and is largely produced i 1 leaves a IHS es s eaten by earth arth worms idi i h hint them Into a black mould it t i 1 like Ii a manure hi in furnishing food fOl i plants I lant The humus of oC arid regions n HI l smaller in quantity is ia richer in it ty than that of the humid re thAt in is it contains more nitro three throe times as much i 1 litro 1 is the most t expensive and andi i t of nf plant foods food to supply to the Fertile Western Soils Solis soils therefore are are natural They contain an abundance i taut la nt II t food which may be made madei i able II if ii water ater can be toe stored snored in th thi the i 1 I Usually there is la sufficient rain 1 i J in winter whiter to produce fair rp p on nn the dry sail wU 1 en even n when no Min f His lI during the growing seasoned season ed however that the winter inter stare tn ran can be stored For Irrigated rn we w e store water In reservoirs re where above the leads lands to be te ir iI td Id For dry farms we store wa wan n II soil reservoirs beneath the sur wr surf of nf f the land All that Is 18 necessary n I to do this Is fa to have a urn uni m oil soil of sufficient depth say Par six Ix I l or fir more before reaching rea hard hardpan pan i play lay or porous gravel A 1 oj ii alternately clay sand gravel etc tint nut good for dry fanning farming A 1 thin soil iI than six feet will hold the tM tri for but it will get too hot If Ie thE h r i if kept say y within twelve Inches the he surface by b a hardpan at that th Th Tb water eater at r must sink uk to t a con coni i 11 bit bb 1 depth In order that it may oe ue Den I MI n fl up tip by br the plant as needed Forms of Soil Water WaterS S oil iI I ter exists in three forms The Thet rt rI t form is known as free tree water 1 i i ii is water occupying the largest MH L va e S soil particles Free Freedl dl at r flows flews ft S through the sol seal er or r tends it ii it it But when the free tree water ive me e it always goes oes downward being r out I by the force fone of gravity en 1 the free w water t r moves later y r it is seeking a lower level and anG an anre ref re r also moving downwards T c n am It is i s not used directly by byH bya H a t 1 nut only as It supplies stipples capillary f r r 1 it in the soil The second form Js called capillary water g J to a thin film Him of moisture 1 SUI rounds round and Is held close to each aoh so oll grain by adhesion It Is that toot proportion df of the free water upon which the Ule force rore of or adhesion is greater gre than th force of gravity It may move moe through the soil oil In any direction and always goes toward t nl the driest places whether they th y be above or below bellOw or 01 upon upen up n one uno side sode Illustration of Capillarity Put a small portion of a 8 dry spoils SP Into water Observe that the We water Immediately ly rises to Us ts parts The water la is drawn into the sponge as oil Into a lamp by the U force caved called capillary attractions attraction The T e smaller maller the openings tho farther f the water will rise as may be shown by dipping tipping glass glaes gl tubes having different rant steed Sized openings mo nto water if U therefore th the top soil is ia packed together by roll Ing I or long rest Its capillary tubes tubas are arc q made mad smaller and more moisture wilt vIII arise Ar H to the surface and escape by ty evaporation than if Ir the surface sUrf ce lay la r is Ie plowed up or loosened and made open Capillary water Is the chief sup sops My Illy 1 of or moisture m to crops Hygroscopic Moisture The third form Corm of ot son sol 1 water I If called hygroscopic moisture It is an an exceedingly thin film of or soil water heW help so eo firmly to soli soil grain that It can cannot cannot cannot not be drawn away awa by bJ capillary attraction at attraction ra ration tion It is ie thought that plants cannot get much of this tills Hygroscopic moisture Usually the finest grained soils lIs and the colder Soils contain more of this mola mois ture than coarse and warm soils con contain contain tain tam Moreover it Is found in soils soU that thal appear to be perfectly dry If It film is thick the plants pay may draw It off elf too quickly Quick F so to that th t the th soil soli merely merel jf lOle 1 anti ami not wet is rimy really lb the best for dry farming fanning operations The Two Problems For successful arid acid farming nt two problems are to be solved First to catch all the rain of winter second to keep It from evaporating during the summer The first object is attained at attained attained by b deep plowing in the fall CaU fallIn CaUIn fallIn In this way about 85 86 per pp cent of the winter moisture may ma be retained ret ln tl till spring Then rhen the land should be bi harrowed har harrowed rowed so IO as to form a thick fine mulch of pulverized soil eol at the sur surface surface surface face This mulch will wilt prevent evaporation c evaporation tion Therefore the farrowing should be repeated d after every rainfalls rainfall No Nu weeds eeds should be I permitted to grow since ince they the consume me the soil moisture They The should be destroyed destro ed as fast as they appear In way nay the water caught in th the winter may ma be kept in inthe inthe inthe the ground during tit tt summer to be used as needed by b the growing plants Storing the Water In order to store sto water in the soil soli space must mut mU lt be provided In n which It Itcan itcan can be held until U the plant roofs roots drink it in The soil is composed of ot rock tock grains of all aU allIeS sines variously compact compacted ed M or thrown together The soil s ll must be made less lees like a solid substance and more like a sponge in order to hold the moisture It must be filled t with spaces between the grains so that it has bas plenty of the capillary tubes In which the moisture sture can be beheld beheld held betel The more of or these tb tubes or spaces there are the th more w water ter the soil BOil will ill retain The soil must there therefore therefore therefore fore be b plowed or loosened In some someway someway way wa This may be done with a disc plow plo or a moldboard low but the subsoil plow should hould also be used since deep plowing is generally necessary necessary sary MrY in order that sufficient moisture shall shan be sto stored ed When the sol so Is I thus plowed the torrential rains which fall In summer or autumn and the snow or sleet of winter will sink sin Into the soil instead In eed of running off the surface How Is Lost Soil Soli moisture Is lost in two ways wa s 1 the free trEM water percolates or sinks downward until it is lost to the roots I t rr i t I i t fi I a 1 r t i 1 II i j I k ii It r f C Ch a h b a Brome Grasses Gr ss of the West 1 Smooth brome grass g Bromus a One of the by and ande c e front and back view of u 11 floret This is 18 the grass recommended d d for plant planting planting planting ing on the dry dr farms it is hardy smooth two to three fleet feat f t high thrives without irrigation and makes a good hay It was wag introduced from fr n Europe Europa pe 2 Western brom gra B pump lanus A promising ns native Of or the Rocky mountains grin two to to tour four ur fe feet t high with long jather abundant leaves It a I ves sa a trial i n tt cultivation 3 B A striking moun tin thin grass ie to Tofu foar foet f with large and numerous leaves l It Is faun found d on hillsides at great gr e among fallen timber horses are arc fond fan fon it d of It and abd it could probably be grown with success In the lower valleys valle 4 9 Porters brome grass B Porte ri ii It Is a species species species cies one to t two feet high and a good pasture grass Illustrations from the t e United States Stat department ft of the plants plant or 2 t r taw I li fu by y capillary attract 5 lr ih t ithe Mr taco face of the soli soil In the aria west II It Seems improbable that much if any of the soil soli water Is lost by b downward percolation through the son soil m tn sum summer sumner mer ner singe since the summer heat tends to bring it U to the thc surface The Th surface soil roll becomes s drier In th hot Weather than titan that lying immediately teh below belo it Ii and then th n the moisture rises riMs through the capillary tubes Into Int the upper upp r layers To keep this water wafer from coin eom coining coining ing to the surface we must enlarge the capillary ca tubes and nd this can art be bt bedone bedone done by repeated cultivation the ud by forming the loose and open open dust dual mulch as the top layer The rising tilling water ater is stopped when this layer Is dry but not if ir it Is wet The effect or of our dry dr hot summer wind Is to sear the top layer and if it does d s not bake to form a layer laer Impervious Im to the rising ris rising risIng ing water But if the soil has too much clay cia and is permitted to dry naturally natural it will bake and an crack and through these cracks the moisture will escape pe Effect of Cultivation A recent bulletin No Xo 61 of the New Mexico station staton states that experiments often otten repeated have proved that the tho evaporation of moisture from a soil surface Is least when that surface is least exposed d to the air It follows therefore th r Con that any in the surface increase the surface e exposure x which In turn increases the evaporation of moisture mol The reason re son for laying so 50 much stress upon following the plow Immediately with the harron harrow is to pre prevent prevent prevent vent the loss kiss 10 s of or moisture from the ir irregular Irregular regular surface Level 1 v l culture with a afine fine floe even e et en surface has bas proved the best method of conserving moisture and Tor far most crops trope this condition Is the most favorable for tor root development and expansion ex Level Leel culture should mean not only I a level surface BUrCa exposure when the work is completed but it should also be hi made to mean the cutting or siring of or ofa ora ofa a slice or layer of the surface surra e to practically practically the same depth at all aU points This Is usually best accomplished by using a long flat Hat blade bl de which Is run so 50 as to cut an even depth and at the theme same me time stir the soil before it falls faUs back In position Another means al almost almost almost most as effective Is the use of or a large number of small shovels Evert Eye Ever small smal shovels leave an uncut ridge under underneath underneath neath neth anda a doa slight corrugation on the surface Large shovels are extremely harmful since they leave the surface In great ridges and portions of the un uncut uncut uncut cut under surface exposed to the air Dry Farm Crops On dry farms the seed should be beson sown son in the fall f U The fall grain starts I to td out before b th tJ the farmer t r tn test T get upon the land in spring and makes make use us usI of both fall Call and spring moisture m that I would otherwise be wasted by b evaporation tion idon Less seed should be sown than t on irrigated farms a little more than thant t t half a bushel or of wheat per acre in tIts die I trl trios ts where th re Irrigated irrl ted farms would re require require quire perhaps a bushel and a half haU Not wheat wheat heat alone but oats barley rye Ie and especially esp aUy corn com have all been b en grown with success and profit on lands that receive twelve Inches of rainfall I i and peas sugar beets potatoes peaches i grapes gr have been successfully t tI cultivated In certain places without ir Irrigation I It is Important to secure seed I that has been reproduced on the dry farm for several years y ars Within certain limits crops can be adapted to new and different environments Aquatic plants I In time have h vc so adapted themselves as d asto aSto to become dryland plants Plants that j for COr centuries have hae been grown in con conI 1 I of abundance of or moisture have I gradually become adapted to drier ell cU climates i mates This provision of nature sup i plies piles the means whereby we are able to transport rt and adapt crops to new n w and j heretofore untried conditions Strains j of or seed geed ed which have hac been successfully j I grown town for years yean eats under semiarid con eon j i win will presently SenU be in great de demand mt mand nd As a result sult of this demand we dingy t expect pedigreed dry i farm arm crops to appear and they the will fill nil i ian i i i an an ait important want I f fA Method in General I A New Mexico bulletin by J J Ver Yer j i non gives ghee II 8 the following concise e sum summary i mary inary of ur facts f about arid terming farming j I IDI Dry DI farming fanning practices include the i following i j ja a a Deep plowing before the rainy I I on sets in In order to provide in Inthe j i the soil sOli a capacious water storage res reservoir and an ample space for root de devel vel b Light deep even een seed seedIng seedIng Ing inor or planting in a well prepared moist Soil fell t ll c Frequent thorough level cul eul cultivation I before beCore as well as after sowing er panting d The use of or seed bred and selected sel ted for or the conditions prevail DIg Big e The use Ulle of ot machinery of large O 0 f The adoption of methods for Cor the concentration of crops Fall Seeding of Cereals Fall seeding of ot cereals Is preferable If o spring seeding wherever the condl condi will permit for the following rea a The work worl is distributed over overa a 8 longer period b The root system of the crop becomes well developed dev loped so that hat spring growth Is more rapid Cc c Tim The growth above the surface of the I ground though sometimes sometime small serves senses a valuable purpose by b modifying the at a time when Its Iu effects are re most marked thus preventing in a measure at least the blowing of the then roll Soli n from around the roots of the plants and nd at the same time holding the snowfall upon |