DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



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ma}- vary, as I have said. In the question of farm management, the ques- 

 tion of horsepower and everything of that kind is to be considered. But 

 this was the difference in the crops — nine bushels to the acre. That crop, 

 of course, was irrigated, but our moisture contents was determined be- 

 fore irrigation. Under that condition we found that we got about nine 

 bushels of wheat more per acre on the fall plowed ground with early spring 

 cultivation. We had that running two years, and our second best yield, 

 taking the two years into consideration, came with our late spring plowing. 



MR. D. W. WARNER, Alberta, Canada: I want to ask Mr. Atkin- 

 son how he prepared that ground in the fall after plowing, before the 

 winter came on? 



PROF. ATKINSON: The question has been asked how the ground 

 was prepared in the fall before the winter came on. It was not pre- 

 pared. AA e plowed it just as it was, which, I believe, is the common 

 practice. It is the common practice with us. 



We intend to extend this work. The results here do not necessarily 

 indicate that fall plowing is best, but that was our experience — not par- 

 ticularly on the soil moisture contents. . Of course I am not discussing 

 soil moisture contents. But there is a soil management phase which en- 

 ters in, which, to return to the summer fallowing again, to a point I 

 neglected to mention, I believe you will appreciate very well, which, of 

 course, will apply to the intertilled. Our crops are not intertilled. These 

 soils have never been intertilled, and our soils over in Montana are good 

 in moisture contents. We have the light feeding crop — the intertilled 

 crop, and summer fallowing. We may find later that the summer fal- 

 low may be more effective than some other points. The qualities of the 

 soil which bring plant food into available form require moisture just the 

 same as the growing plant requires moisture, consequently if you have 

 the available plant food it takes moisture the same as ■ the crop. This 

 may not become a factor for a great many years, as it has in the Red 

 River area and the Dakotas. We may find that the summer fallow has 

 an effect in allowing the plant food to become worked up and become 

 available because of the fact that the moisture is held there and not taken 

 out by the plan. The objection to summer fallowing for humid districts 

 is that the plant food is worked up and worked out. Allowing our moisture 

 to lay for a year to work up the plant food we may find will have a prom- 

 inent place in our system. 



Our method of handling that soil to conserve the moisture on the dry 

 farm is to plow the land in the fall after our crop is off, just as soon 

 as we can get to it, and leave it laying right there. We believe, from 

 observations, that the deep plowing is very important on the dry farm. 

 Some one mentioned here 3'esterday that it is a wrong idea because you 

 will turn the humus awa}- from the surface, and it is a wrong idea to turn 

 that down deep because 3'ou turn it away from use by the plants. But 

 we believe, from our observations, that a deep moisture reservoir is de- 

 sirable. And we are frequently asked how deep we break our soil. 

 Break it up just as deeply as you can get it broke. The best breaking 



