| Show DROUGHT MAY BE PREVENTED fall plowing should atway be fant step in preparing to combat dry leaion to follow naturally there la no way in which a drought may be avoided hen it really comes but there are certain practices that will help to lessen ita harmful effects we have had several dry years in the last decade and it Is time we were taking advantage ot any and every plan whereby we may be able to save the moisture in the soil tor the benefit ot tha growing crops saving the moisture Is the one essential thing of course to do that properly we ought to follow the plan of the man who uses dry farming methods and do most of our plowing in the fall fait plowing should al ways be the first step in preparing to combat a dry season this will fill the soil with rain and snow water during the winter and in the spring you can keep most of that water there by judicious and constant stirring of the soil in the spring and even in the early summer the soil is usually pretty well saturated with moisture it we looked at it through a microscope we would see every soil particle surrounded by a thin film of water the good rains of winter and spring have filled the soil spaces and packed the soil pretty tightly if it remains packed the films of water surrounding the soil par tides will vanish it will be sucked up from particle to particle till it reaches the surface and the winds and the sun will pick up and whirl it away fighting off the effects of dry weather depends tor its success on keeping this moisture in the ground it can not be permitted to reach the top once gone it is not going to be replaced in midsummer the solution of the problem is keeping the soil water in the soll leave the soli to itself and in a little while a crust will form over a plowed field or a stubble patch and then the real evaporation begins it the surface Is scratched up and kept stirred the water will not come to the surface but will remain in the soil where the plant roots can get at 11 |
