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Show DRY FARMING TERM As Much Misunderstood as Any in English Language. First Used In Irrigated Country Where Land Was Cultivated Above Oltchea or Before Irrigation Irri-gation was Inaugurated. Dry farming Is perhaps as much a misunderstood term as any In (he English language. Many people seem to think It Is some hocus pocus system sys-tem whereby crops can bo produced on arid or desert soli where no rain falls. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dry farming was the term used In the Irrigated country where the land was cultivated above thfe ditch or before the ditches were ((instructed ((in-structed to Irrigate the land. Throughout Through-out tho greater part of the Irrigated belt from 10 to 20 Inches of rain fell annually and many farmers having only a small acreage under the Irrigating Irri-gating ditch supplemented this by farming more or less of tho unlrrl gated land adjoining and to their sur priso In many seasons It paid them better than the Irrigated land ns It was not nearly so expensive to work. Thus originated tho term dry farming. farm-ing. "Hellrlegel showed by acenal experiment ex-periment thut 12 Inches of effective rain during (he growing season of wheat starting with the soil moisture In good condition should enable a yield of 40 bushels to be produced and that 2.1 bushels of wheat would require 7.5 Indies of rain on the fame basis." In but very few parts of the arid or semi arid sections of this country are there less than ten Inches of rain per annum. The whole problem prob-lem of the dry farmer Is to make as large a proportion as possible of this rainfall effective for his growing crops. Italnfall Is lost to a greater or less extent In two ways: First, by percolating perco-lating down Into the deep strata of soils beyond the reach of tho roots of the plants, and, aeroiiil. by surface evaporation. Over the llrst of these vays of losing the annual rainfall the farmer has no control except In selecting se-lecting the farm. Tho dry farmer should avoid all land containing a sandy or gravelly subsoil or one containing con-taining layers of hard pan near the surface because If ho selects the former for-mer he will lose all tho rainfall by percolation and If he selects the latter bo will lose It by surface run off or drainage. What kind of land should the dry farmer select? A loam surface soil with a clay or day-slit subsoil which csn be readily dug with a spado without with-out tho aid of a p' although the hard day subsoils will do very well, provided they are free from hard pan layers. It Is as Important for the dry farmer to get a water holding subsoil as It Is for the Irrigated farmer to get a perpetual water right as the subsoil sub-soil la (he dry farmers' reservoir In which he stores the rainfall of one season for his crops of the next. The proir selection of tho dry farm Is the all Imixirtant thing In preventing tho loss of effective rain through per eolation; the proper cultural methods are the things to bo considered In preventing pre-venting the loss of effective rain through surface evaporation. These methods differ In different parts of the country. In the northern psrt of the T'nlted States and Canada surface evaporation Is very small dur Ing the winter season. In the south ern part of the frilled States an.! Mexlro surface evaporation may g on quite rapidly throng! out tho entln year so that 30 Inches of rain may noi be as effective In Texas as IT. Inchei would be in Montana. Deep plowini Is usually advocated In the dry farm Ing region as such forms a good roser Tolr to catch tho rains which sr generally very heavy while they last The soli should also be eompactei with a subsurface packer or slmlla tool Immediately after plowing so th soil around all vegetation plowed iiti der Is firm and thus hastens decay Compacting the soil also destrov large air siores and establlstes rapr larlfy between the soil and subsoil In order to prevent surfnee evapors tion the plowing should be drarge Immediately after subsurface packln unless the sell Is very fine and me low with a tendency to blow. Th land (hould bo dragged after ever rain so as to bottle up that water I the subsoil snd also prevent any los of previous rains. In regions of scanty rainfall (1 Inches or less) it Is generally ad vat tngenus to summer till a half or a least a third of the land each seasot Such land should be plowed early 1 the sesson before any weeds have tal en out any roll moisture and aftf plowing It should be kept free frot weeds all summer and a dust mule should be Kept on the field to prever all the evaporation possible. In r glons of over 13 Inche of rain th same resulis csn be obtained by well kept cultivated crop. If th1 work It not done well and at tr proper time all the season's work wi be for naught. The principles of dry farming molture conferva! ion are bound l have a profound Influence on both tt Irrigated section snd In the hum farming regions. It Is teaihlng tt Irrigated farmer that he Is general using a good deal too much water ar It will teach the farmer of tie bum regions how to avoid the diastm effecta of drouths which occur wi' aucb frequency. Aaparagus Is as easily grown gra a when the plants are eiti lished |
