Show PRINCIPLE OF DRY FARMING c methods becoming more popular along with irrigation and where moisture la ano meager while the possibilities of dry farm ing are doubtless doubt lesi overestimated by many and it alu yet be found that in moat semi desert regions it cannot do what has been claimed and hoped for from it these dry farming meth are every day becoming more and more popular along with irrigation and in parts where the moisture la often too meager in jie last named parts where at first business men and especially boasters boosters bo boomers and land men rabidly fought it on the ground that it gave a bad impression of the country it Is now being looked to as the greatest boon that ever cama to make uncertain regions almost sure crop producers to Irrl gators who have had ample water and foolish ly used too much of it till their lands are becoming sour and soggy with it Is proving a great blessing and to those who must arri gate but at times lack ample water cupply it Is proving perhaps the greatest blessing of all says the da kota farmer in much of our mountainous region there Is an over supply of water when the snows are going off in the spring but an equal dearth of it when once the snow water Is gone these people are finding that by very deep plowing occasionally sur face tillage afterward very much ol 01 this early surplus of water can be re talked far into the growing season this Is meaning much in fact every thing in some parts there are other wide irrigated sections that are opening up more acres than the old wasteful methods can supply but instead of discouraging the new acres all are urged to con berve ohp water takai by frequent eurlace and other methods known to up to date dry farming this in some cases coming under our notice has more than doubled the acreage possible in california in colorado and in the western part 0 the dakotas and all along the rivers in montana and wyoming we have seen an increase of acreage under this treatment that formerly would not have been thought possible nor Is the increase of possible acre it age the only gain from this source t Is found that better crops both in quantity and quality can be grown where tillage takes the alape of too much watering potatoes especially are greatly benefited by this the old time water soaked spud in nc way compares with the potato grown by two at the most and proper vert of till ge it Is found that even spuds can be over irrigated and that a small amount of judicious harrowing and even disking can be made to take the place of over flooding to the general betterment of the bay crop sugar beets also tell the same etory as do many other farm prod acts A great many close students of the equation greatly question and rightly in our mind the possibility of thi system doing very much for parts of the country admittedly desert but no one at all acquainted with its questions for a moment that it Is going to be the means of adding greatly to the certainty of crops throughout the vast and otherwise productive region referred to which la now so often uncertain deep stirring of the subsoil it only every third or fourth year more planted crops well tilled more early well cared for summer fallow early plowing following early matur ing crops such as winter rye and wheat barley etc more harrowing of small grain and disking of alfalfa nd other sods and last but not east more deep rooting alfalfa and clover with stock to consume it means much in dry farming alq to us |