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Show DRY FARMING SYSTEJJ' Condition of "Any Old Way" is Rapidly Changing. Science Has Served to Establish Certain Cer-tain Tacts and Principles Which Mutt Be Obterved to Secure Profitable Crops. (Py IMtOF. A.M. TFV KVCK. Supprln-trnilcnt Supprln-trnilcnt Wrt-rn Kansas Kxp'rlmnt Bttttloti.) Western Kansas In 1311 expert eoced, as old settlers affirm, the driest year In Its history since Its settlement. Tb almost total failure of all crops has compelled the farmeri to study 'diy farming' as never before. The great fault with western Kan-sat Kan-sat agriculture up to the present time la that there has ben no regular system sys-tem or method of farming. In fact, until the last few years, 'any old way' would fairly describe tbe method of cropping and soil culture In general practice. This condition Is rapidly changing. The study of th science of dry farming farm-ing has served to establish certain facts and principles which must be observed In order to grow profitable crops The most Important of these Is th fact that the moisture which falls as rain or snw must be stored In the subsoil and conserved by a proper system of soil culture In order lo Insure against crop failure due to drought during the growing period of tbe crops. It has become a well-established and generally accepted fact that profitable crops cannot be produced for a long period In the Great Plains region by a process of continuous cropping which depends mainly upon the rains which fall during tho growing season to produce a crop each year. In order or-der to Insure against great loss from drought and often total failure of crops, It Is necessary to store the rains which fall between the harvesting of one crop and the planting of the next, and even more than this. It becomes necessary occasionally to fallow the land or rest from cropping for season with the purpos of storing tbt rains of one whole year In the subsoil sub-soil and thus accumulate toil moisture In order that there niay be a sufficient supply So Insure the production of a crop when It Is planted and grown. The most Important factor in dry farming, which has bwn greatly neglected neg-lected by our western farmers, is getting get-ting the rain water Into the ground and safely stored or 'conserved In the subsoil where It may be drawn upon by the growing crop. The plan of producing a soil which j Is to conserve tho n1,l"l"', w blcL, Ujf lu lr,e sol) has bef f TL 'Jf oV less successfully pi.ic!H'd lu" i.7uT.r years. Hut In a very dry season this method failed because with no moisture mois-ture stored In the soil, surface cultivation culti-vation to maintain a mellow soil mulch gave Utile or no benefit. There was no moisture to conserve! Now the plan should le In the beginning be-ginning of tbe preparation of the seed bed to put the soil In the most favorable favor-able condition to receive tbe rain and carry It downward Into the subsoil. This is accomplished by disking soon after harvest, or late In the fall, or early In the spring. Deep plowing a long time before planting, leaving the soil mellow and rough, enlarges the wafer reservoir and favors the absorption ab-sorption of heavy rain, but the best plan of storing moisture, at I have determined by experiments and brought out by the experiences of farmers at the Institutes Is the method meth-od of listing the toll In deep furrows and ridges immediately after harvest or In the fall after the corn or kafir Is cut, or if this work cannot be accomplished ac-complished In the fall, then early spring listing Is desirable. Soil which Is opened out In listed furrows Is In the best possible condition condi-tion to cstcb and store the rain, which as It falls runs quickly to the bottom of t.ie furrows and Is rapidly absorbed directly Into the tubsoll without having hav-ing to pass through six or eight inches of One, compact surface soli. The subsoil sub-soil of our western plains Is usually cheeked or stratified In a vertical plane, hence the water In the bottom of the listed furrows penetrates rapidly rapid-ly downward and Is protected from evaporation because less evaporating surface Is exposed and also the ridges, especially If the furrows run east and west, protect the furrows from the wind and direct rays of the sun. On the other hand, the surface soil Is an unst ratified mas of fine soil grains which does not allow the rain water to percolate readily. Also a heavy rain quickly packt the toll at the iurface so that It will riot take water rapidly, with the result that too much of the rain water it drained off before It can be absorled by the soil. |