134 



DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



we have had is six inches. Possibly you can get it broken eight or 

 ten inches. But that was broken just as deeply as we could and just as 

 quick as we could. Get it broken down eight, ten and eleven inches, 

 down to ten inches, probably, for its effect on the soil moisture conserva- 

 tion. You create, in that way, a deep, loose soil moisture reservoir which 

 will hold a great deal more moisture than a la^'er of four inches deep 

 and then a hard surface below. 



Subsoiling is a question that ma}' have a place in dr}- farming. Plow 

 as deeply as you can get down — eight or ten inches — and leave it lay 

 right there. The sub-surface packer — I think I heard it mentioned here 

 and all over through the arid west — I don't know how generally it is 

 used, or whether it is used at all or not. I believe the theor}' is all 

 right, when you are breaking 3'our land, perhaps, packing it down and 

 establishing the contents of .the top soil and la3-ers belovr. The theory- 

 is all right, but it can be done nearly as effectively b}' some instrument 

 like the roller. I don't believe that thty are the secret of success in dry 

 farming, but the packing of the soil down when 3^ou are breaking it. I 

 believe is of value. But the disc will do this. Discing four to six times 

 will do this ver}- effectivel3^ 



Another method we take: we leave our lands lie and get onto them 

 in the spring just as earl3' as we can, and, of course, deep early seeding. 

 On a piece of summer fallowed, where we kept it cultivated — cultivated in 

 the spring and harrowed after every rain — as compared with a piece not 

 touched (and on the piece not touched very few weeds came up, simply 

 because the soil was packed, while those on the summer fallowed did) 

 the piece not cultivated took ver3' nearl3^ the same proportion of moisture 

 at the end of the season as the piece that had been summer fallowed, 

 and on the piece that had not been touched took not quite as much moist- 

 ure, but in a large degree as much as the one the crop had been grown 

 on. We exercised that precaution — thinking it is important — that if the 

 weeds came up of discing and of harrowing after the rains. Of course 

 you can't go on after all of the rains, since it is too wet, and as long as 

 it was too wet we don't go onto the soil, but as soon as it is dry we follow 

 the practice of summer fallowing our soils. We practice cultivating our 

 ground just as long as possible. We do not use the weeder. We culti- 

 vate it until the plant is up nearly meeting between the rows, and after 

 they come to entirely shade the ground, of course we have to quit it then. 



There are several S3^stems for the proposition of breaking the soil 

 crust and conserving the moisture. These S3'stems are commonh^ used 

 and you are familiar with them and with the reasons for them. 



My purpose, as I said, in coming up here, was to present data along 

 two or three lines, which we had gained in our experience. Our condi- 

 tions are ver}' different to 3'ours, and it simpl3' emphasizes — the difference 

 of opinion expressed here emphasizes the importance of every state estab- 

 lishing its own bureau of investigation and experiment stations, in order 

 that they may work out their own problems. Our soil is very different 



