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Show LESSONS FROM DRY-FARMING Farmers in Humid Regions of East Can Gain Suggestions Regarding Conservation of Moisture. From the dry-fanning methods which are so necesnsry to success throughout the west, fanners in the more humid districts of the east can ot'teu gain valuable suggestions with regard to the proper conservation of moisture. One lesson which may be learned is lu reference to the treatment treat-ment of the small grains. The eastern east-ern farmer usually considers wheat, oats and barley as crops which cannot be cultivated. Consequently no attention atten-tion Is paid to them from the time they are sown untfl they are ready to harvest. Not so with the up-to-date fHimer. He cultivates his grain fields after every rain from the time they are well started in the spring until un-til they are too high to allow of further furth-er cultivation-, says the Country Gentleman. Gen-tleman. The spike-tooth harrow is used for the earlier workings; as the grain grows larger the weeder is substituted. sub-stituted. By means of the latter implement im-plement grain may be cultivated almost al-most up to the time when it begins to head. The advantages of this cultivation are two-fold. In the first place it serves to break the crust which is so likely to form after the spring rains, and to close the cracks which the frost has made in the winter grain fields. This lessens the evaporation of moisture, which is most rapid from crusted or cracked soil, and conserves It until it is most needed by the growing grow-ing crop. The advantage of this precaution pre-caution is most apparent in the semi-arid semi-arid districts, but in dry seasons it is noticeable everywhere. In the east rolling winter wheat as soon as it is Eafe to go on the ground In the spring is perhaps to be preferred pre-ferred to harrowing. If clover Is planted with the wheat it should be sown before the rolling is done. The rolling covers the clover seed and also firms the soil about the roots of the wheat plants where it has been loosened by heaving. The other effect of cultivation is in the keeping down of weeds, and for this purpose it is just as useful and just as necessary In the east as in the west. Small weeds are very easily killed with the harrow or weeder, and if the work is properly done the grain will not be injured. Thsee precautions are necesasry In handling small grain. Drilled grain only should be harrowed, for cultivation cultiva-tion destroys a portion of the stand of that which has been sown broadcast broad-cast and bo lessens the yield. For the lame reason the harrowing should be done in the direction of the drill rows rather than across them. Fields on which grass or clover seed has been sown should not be harrowed, for the young plants are as easily killed by this treatment as are the weeds. None of these precautions need be observed If the roller is used on winter grain, but the roller Is of little or no use In killing weeds. In the east, except in the driest seasons, it will not usually be profitable to barrow grain fields more than once. Another lesson which may be learned learn-ed from the dry-farmer is the disking of land which is to be plowed later in order to keep the soil from baking until un-til the plowing can be completed. This practice was begun in the west 1 on grain stubble after harvest in order or-der to hold whatever moisture was in the soii,.for usually little rain falls after that time. Since the disking can be done much more rapidly than the plowing, there is less chance for evaporation. evap-oration. In addition to remaining in condition condi-tion to plow for a much longer period, land which has been disked is much less inclined to break up in clods and lumps than undlsked Boil, jjnd hence is more easily put in condition for planting. Thf loose earth which is thrown to the bottom of the furrow unites much more readily with the furrow slice, and no larger air spaces are left. |