Show THE FACTS AND principles OF ARID FARMING the following arc from an article on and farming by prof J II 11 paul hong alie dicta and principles of arid farming as brou glit forth by prof hogenson cn before prof pauls in nature study at alie university it turned out eliat few of the students knew the methods of culture peculiar to tins kind of western soil cultivation and it may be that readers generally will bo in to icorn the practices of tins new species of peculiar to the semi arid west dr fanning to become a very important industry in this state utah his perhaps acres of land suitable for dry farmier operations and only a small fraction of this land lias yet been put to this use we still grow most of our wheat oits and barley on irrigated farms but the time may not be far distant when practically all of the cereals in alie bemi and regions will bo products of cd lands while hie areas that can be irrigated will be demoted to more c farming dry farms how everi will produce more than grains and already potatoes sugar beets alfalfa and certain kinds of fruits have been successfully grown without im gation for successful dry farming a deep soil say at least four feet is required A shallow soil docs not afford the moisture storage capacity essential for the production of good crops the one great problem is the storage of water in the soil and for ting purpose there is not much choice between sandy and clay soils the fiand is formed into a surface mulch with less labor than is the case with clay but the latter will leold more moisture in the form that is available for plants that is the clay being composed of very fine particles cadi of w aich carries its ow n film of capillary moisture carries a total of such moisture far CK the amount carried b gand the reason of difference is due to alie soil since the finer the particles alio more soil grain surface ig to leold alie capillary water in clay soil there may bo from to dodoo grains per linear inch in each line of soil in coarse sandy soil alie number of grains may bo reduced to tw enty uvo or thirty per linear inch thus the clay liolis more capillary w atar the mois tuio film around each soil gram and alna 13 the only form of soil water that can IMS held in the ground duang alie long dry for if alie water is free that is if it merely filla the space alie grams the particles do not hold it and the water will sink into the earth from the force of gravity free water will abw more readily than the capillary film moisture held by each soil gram the evaporation of moisture from cither alie freta or alie capillary condition takes place chiefly at alie ground surf ia well nigh arc anted by keeping alio bacr of isbit finely in alie form of a dry dust mulch as this prepared upper layer la called the dust cuts off alie small capillas capi llao openings eliat extend to the soil surface and it is through these openings that alie escapes if alie soil bakes it will crack and alie larger openings in the surface will act like to carry the maiette maie twe now we know tint clay boil more readily than sand hence in a boil with a sandy surface it is cacici to form the mulch by burbee culli lation thus each wal hoa its advantage and alie ideal soil would be one clay underneath and band at alio suffice sur fice dry farming it has been gild requires a considerable rainfall the average precipitation in rutih 13 perhaps twelve inches per ear an inch of rainfall means alic fall of a laver of water one inch in depth over alie entire land and this means tons of water per abic it has been found that to raise ono bushel of wheat requires forty civo tons of water our average yield of wheat on dry farms is eighteen or twenty bushels of wheat per acre inches of rainfall gives 1856 tons of water per acre and since it requires forty five tons of water for each bushel of wheat raised oin average yield of dry firm elicit might be thirty bushels per acre if we could save all the moisture that fills but this we cannot do yet by storing alip moisture for two sears and planting only every other ear we may save enough moisture to produce 40 or 60 bushels an acre this two season storage is effected by means of summer following fallowing fal lowing that is plotting the land in the sumitr but not planting until the next season As soon as alie crop is harvested in the fall the land should bo deeply plotted and left rough and uneven without harrowing until in the spring the surface sui face with its large exposure will thorf catch and retain almost alie entire precipitation the rough deeply plowed land acts as reservoir holding the anon and rain which finally sinks unto alio plowed land earla in the spring as boon as alie surface is dry enough the land is harrowed to the of alio moisture by evaporation and to catch all alie water of spring snows and rams alic harrowing is repeated after every considerable rain to prevent alio baking and cracking of alio surface soil by these operations practically two thirds of the entire rainfall may dixs conserved for alie use of growing crops the soil required for conservation is from two to four inches deep bhea is the principal dry farm crop and fall sow ing in order to get alio benefit of the winter rainfall is tho iest practice it is alio best to sow early enough to alio gram w ell up before the heavy frosts come since tho erv young sprouts arc delicate and may winter kill if alicy get ready to come out of alie ground in early spring alfalfa seed on the other hand iw sown in early spring the principal varieties of grown on dry farms arc two the turkey red a bearded variety with a red kernel and alic kofod which has a large wanto beardless head and a kernel local millers though formerly partial to alic white kernel are now inclining toward alio aci grains tho latter contain more gluten and hanco mako bread tiro turkey red is at present our preferred variety for dry farming it has alcied thirty ciglio bushels per acre during the past fio on the utah experiment farm kofod averages two or bushels less per acre gold win wheat is a kind commonly grown on western dry daims and though it has hitherto sold aa well as alio kinds above mentioned it is not equal to cither of bliem in value for flour making fall cowhig at hai been shown la alie beet for do farm but it sometime happen that we buet j plant in alie spring or not at all in alu event i the beta cheats are alie durund called alao the macaroni cheats arc tho best v for sow ing the kernel is baix and are the only kinds suitable for the manufacture of macaroni the macaroni cheats ire warded when in head and they hive a higher percentage of gluten alian any other diio heads of all these spring cheats may be black or white the yield of the durues 19 ecsi per acre on dry firms averaging twenty two bush als that of the fall wheat above mentioned experiments earned on at the butali experiment stations for the past five years indicate that alic hist time for fall grain planting is from feest 15 to oct 1 only once did earlier planting from alie middle of august to the middle of september yield n better crop and in that season early fall and late summer raina followed the planting alie press drill gies the best in planting with tins instrument we can bow alie exact amount per acre that our moisture will take care of that is from one to three pecks per acre on dry farms and about four or five pecks per aero on irrigated lands if too much seed is sown on the dry lands the grain will not mature owing to the scarcity of half of the number half the number of plants are likely to do well and to a laigo crop up to a certain limit the thinner the sowing alie stronger each individual plant becomes wheat stools or litters just below alie ground surface by sending out extra roots and straws from a joint there where each plant stands alone it bends out many more of these etra roots and stems than when it is close to oilier plants in dry land where the moisture is not sufficient for all the plants sown tins is baill moie apparent if deown in the fall the boswall variety of oats may readily be raised on dr farms this kind the best known for this purpose is one that is black in the heads and fco resembles wild oats this kind however lacks alic beard and alic fuzzy kernel of the wild variety A dry farm fall barley the california prolific likewise increased thus far a spring barley lias been with fair baic ces the best grass for thy dry firm la the large brome grabs tho most valuable crop for w estern lands it yields from two to three tons per acre of a hay that seems equal to timothy in feeding qualities there are many kinds of brome grass none of the others of any alpe cial merit and most of them worthless the little june grass that is covering our hills is in a bromo grass and is not only worthless but dangerous it causes the rapid spreading of forest fires since it becomes dry and before the fodder brome grabs mentioned above docs not thrive on irrigated lands the bemi arid regions it forms a sod and makes good pasture ing no transplanting it is sown in early spring and lightly cavend after broadcasting alie drill puts it too alie ground very liblit harrow ing with brush div ei it a cirth cov cr one half macli being dap enough in earl spring before alic enow it may be scattered on top of the snow pounds of seed should bo sown per acre |