DRY FARMING CONGRESS 



23 



that falls on the ground for use of the crops. The science of dry-land farm- 

 ing is the science of saving the moisture that falls upon the ground for the 

 crop that is to grow, and we have found, as my colleague may fefer to later, 

 that we can actually, by our methods of cultivation, and have during the 

 past year, stored the equivalent of eight inches of rainfall in our soil during 

 this past year. You know if we can save all that for the crop next year 

 we have stored enough moisture — supposing there is no more fall — we have 

 stored enough moisture to grow for us ten to fifteen bushels of wheat to 

 the acre. 



Another point we have been working out in connection with our work 

 is to find^out what crops are going to succeed. We find that those crops 

 that are rapid growers are the ones we want. 



Those that grow and mature best are those that come quickly in the 

 'spring. Those that grow in June do well, for the rain is plentiful, and we 

 get a larger crop. A\'e must learn to improve on our methods. So a crop 

 that ripens early in the season is desirable. We are working along these 

 lines. 



Another line we have been working on which we find has been a great 

 advantage is the amount of seed that can be sown per acre. We have shown 

 in our results that a small amount of seed gives the larger returns per acre 

 than the large amount of seed. The farmer that knows that is one of the 

 fundamental rules is a long way ahead in regard to returns he is going to 

 get from his land; he has started on the basis of success in his work. 



A\'e found also by our methods that ground does best that is not 

 cropped every year. Some of our farmers are cropping their land every 

 3^ear, ^^ear after 5'ear, and the result is they are drying up their soil, and if 

 tlieir soil is dried up there are none of those processes going on in the soil 

 Avhich tend to fertilize the soil enough, and it does not produce the crop 

 the}- otherwise would get. We have to figure out the question whether to 

 crop every yesLr, every second year or two years in three. We have estab- 

 lished things of that kind that are of help to the farmers of our country. 

 These are a few of the things we are doing. 



In connection with this I \vant to say that the state is helping us, 

 giving something like four thousand dollars a j^ear last year as an appro- 

 priation for this work. Also b}" the co-operation of the Northern Pacific 

 Railway and the Great Northern Railwa}- we got about five thousnd 

 dollars a 3'ear to carr}- out this work, so that with the two together we 

 liave a ver}^ nice sum of mone}^ to carry on this dr}^ farm w-ork over the 

 state. And the}' promise to continue on that same basis for next year. 



In regard to the area we have suitable for that kind of farming in 

 Montana, that is one thing we haven't made verj^ careful estimates of as 

 yet, but it is in all probability not less than twenty million acres, and it 

 may reach as high as thirty million acres in the state suitable for this class 

 of farming. A great deal of this area is considerably lower than your ele- 

 vation here. A great deal of it is as low as from 1,800 to 2,500 feet ^bove 

 sea level. A great deal of the state is below 4000 feet in elevation, so that 

 \vhile we are north of you you see the climatic conditions are not as ex- 



