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Show DRY FARMING IN THE EAST Method Is Called for Where There Is Lack of Subsoil Moisture, Coupled With Dry Weather. The lack of subsoil moisture, coupled with excessive heat and dry weather, calls for dry farming methods. For several seasons I have been practicing a modified form of dry farming with good results. My plan Is to plow for all crops as early as possible, while the ground contains the moisture from spring rains. Harrow each day'3 plowing. plow-ing. Waiting until one has finished before harrowing is allowing as much moisture to escape from the furrows each day as would fall In a good day's rain. Harrow immediately after each rain till the crop Is in. While the crop Is under ground choose your own weapons either harrow, weeder or cultivator; but don't fall to stir the top soil if it rains, writes N. Glennon In the Country Gentleman. When the crop starts stir the topsoll to the depth of an inch after each rain, and do It quickly it you have , to use every horse and man. Start at 4 a. m., and keep it up till the crop covers the ground. Kep the ground level. A ditch between the rows dug by deep cultivation and handhoelng of the loose earth round the crop, would perhaps per-haps be all right If one had a river to turn Into the ditches; but without the river or a dash of rain one must ho.d the "moisture In the soil by keeping keep-ing the ground level and leaving one Inch of unbaked, loose, dry earth on top. Last Beason my potatoes yielded at the rate of 400 bushels to the acre o.. dry soil, though other crops hereabouts here-abouts on the same character of soli, after being ditched below the level of the roots and laboriously "hilled up," yielded less than 100 bushels to the acre. Of course, to raise potatoes by this method they must be planted deep and the furrows gradually filled, as one cultivates after each rain. My soil is a gravelly loam; but after four weeks of dry weather there Is under the top Inch of dry soil sufficient moisture. Some may object that level culture for tobacco will not do, as the wind will blow it over. Exactly the reverse re-verse Is the case, as I have had ample proof by trying level culture and hilled-up hilled-up rows side by side. The level rows stood up; the hilled tobacco, with brace roots either cut off by deep cultivation cul-tivation or kept back by not being able to grow out of the hill into the open gutter, blew down badly. As well attempt at-tempt to keep a tree standing by digging dig-ging down until all Its roots were cut off and expect the loose earth thrown round the trunk to hold It up. In loose soil and damp soil will be loose, though no amount of deep cultivation will loosen baked out soil I have washed out tobacco roots three feet In length, and In no place more than four Inches below the surface. Leave them uncut and they will hold the tobacco to-bacco up. I have followed corn roota for over four feet. |