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Show TO SECURE MOISTURE Mutch Blanket Formed by Proper Prop-er Use of Cultivator. Hough Cultivation Impedes Run-Off, Prevents Mud Forming and Causes Rain to Sosk In Effect of Summer Tilling. Olt E n I'AllSu.NS, In the I ry Farming Farm-ing t'niiKri-ns Hulli tiii ) 8otl and water take up more apace han noil alone, therefore when tho oMilntutc dries out It leaves a void. Tbla void Is represented by an In-to In-to He number of fine crevices or cracks litch zigzag In every direction. Alter a Morrn. when the sun comes ut. the surface of tho earth under the magnifying glass begins to wrinkle as It ilrlen. Next day these wrinkles bejrln to develop Into well defined nrstrks or lisHiires which go deeper and lepcr every day us the ground 4rles out and contracts from the surface sur-face d"n, These crevices allowing the free circulation of air as far as tliey go, cause very rapid evaporation. As we go deep into the subsoil away below these cracks, the evaporation Is ery slight. Ouring the drouth of 1908 on a pleca f summer fallowed land, the loas o' wxrtsture at three feet below the sur uce as not more than 1 per cent, a nontb This, of course, demonstrates advantage of holding your mols-rm mols-rm In the right place. Ily using the cultivator we form a mulch of earth In the granular condition condi-tion which, being loose, settles as the moisture goes out of It without forming form-ing cracks, and not only checks and plugs up the crevices already formed, but prevents the formation of fresh oea. If you auk the question, What consulate con-sulate "dry farming?" ninety-nine men out of a hundred will answer; The conservation of moisture, but If 700 happen to strike a dry farmer of rxperleure who understands his busl-fin. busl-fin. be w' tell you that the accumulation accumu-lation of moist uro Is tho first half of .Icy funning and the conservation of rum,-ture the second half. Those who tarm em the conservation theory only (III argue that smooth cultivation Is the bi-st because It exposes less surface sur-face to the atmosphere and therefore causes Ices evaporation. This theory la correct as far as It goes, but If we se smooth cultivation In a cloudburst cloud-burst country we cannot accumulate aatf as much moisture as we can with vmiRh cultivation, which Impedes run-ft, run-ft, prevents mud forming and causes he rain to soak In. They are begtnnlng to find these hinga out at the experiment station, la a late bulletin from the department ef agriculture we are told that sum-gier sum-gier tilling Is not much of a success ixeept for winter crops, and they And that spring crops usually do as well planted In the ordinary way. The fact is, summer tilling conserves moisture tut does not accumulate It. Continual titling creates too fine a mulch; mud tortns and holds the moisture Instead f allowing to penetrate. It Is like trIng to get water Into a flour sack. As far a spring crops are concerned, soother factor Intervenes, and that Is the natural packing of the soil. If uramer fallowed land Is not planted ntlt the following spring, the plowing Is then about a year old and the ground much too solid for planting. F. 0. Farrel, formerly In charge of the Nephl (Utah) experiment station, aays that during a heavy rain of two inches and five tenths, only five tenths wna caught In the summer tilled land and we can well understand It but In tbe summer fallow plowed ten inches deep and cultivated rough with ha large-size corn cultivator blades which leave a distinct furrow, we cau eatcb all this rain aa It comes. It will penetrate perhaps six or right Inches, i Tbe summer fallow should be cultl-rsted cultl-rsted Just enough to keep the weeds out. no more. If there Is any slope, h cultivation should be always rroes, not up and down with It. Magnificent Mag-nificent spring crops can be raised on the summer fallow, provided It has tMien treated as above for the accumulation ac-cumulation of moisture, but It must he plowed again before planting, not wecessarlly as deep as tho first plowing, plow-ing, for ground packs too hard In twelve months to secure the best result. re-sult. for spring crops we usually find fall lowing left rough until the frost Is wtit of the ground the best and most profitable treatment. If the disc Is used for cultivating the summer fallow, the land should be disced as deep as possible and then ernes disced w ithout any lapplug; by this means the surface Is hollowed at In squares like a checker board and will absorb any quantity of moisture mois-ture as It comes. |
