202 



DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



tion on some of the slides I shall show you later. So that Amarillo, while 

 having an evaporation of 54 inches had a precipitation, during that time, 

 of something over 13 inches. 



The next slide will show this condition in another way. Here we 

 have the evaporation for the stations represented by months. This rep- 

 resents the evaporation for April, May, June, July, August and September. 

 You will see that at Amarillo in April and May it is the same. It went 

 up for June, still higher for July, then came down in August and Septem- 

 ber. Now as you go to Hayes, the next station north, you find practicall}' 

 the same thing, and at North Platte something similar to it, while at the 

 stations wa}^ north the evaporations didn't reach their maximum until in 

 August, instead of July, as in the first case. 



This represents in tabular form the total evaporation for these six 

 stations during these six months, showing the extreme conditions to which 

 the crops were subjected at Amarillo as compared, for example, with 

 Hayes, which had a comparatively high rainfall, and particularly the con- 

 ditions at H3^more, for example, where the total evaporation was very 

 much less and where the precipitation was just about the same. 



The next slide represents the Amarillo farm on the Staked Plains 

 of Texas, in the virgin state. This farm is, as are all of the farms which 

 Prof. Chilcott has established whenever possible, located on virgin prairie 

 sod. You will see the cattle on the horizon — quite a contrast to the 

 mountains which 3"ou see about us here. 



The next slide will show another view of this same farm. And the 

 point I wish to bring out particularly is the instrument with which we 

 are making the observations of which I have been speaking. Here is the 

 evaporation tank in which the evaporation is measured daily. Here is the 

 instrument shelter, which contains a thermometer — a maximum and mini- 

 mum thermometer, and instruments for determining the humidit}^ of the 

 air, and so on. You will notice in this picture something of the precipita- 

 tion in that southern region which I have spoken of. When it does rain 

 it sometimes rains. There was a precipitation in this case of about two 

 inches in two hours, and you can see the condition of the farm. The 

 whole place is under water. 



The next slide. These views are more to give you a general idea 

 of the work than anything else. This represents' a general view of the 

 farm. In the foreground you see a stubble which has been listed out. as 

 they say. It is a system of using a lister in cutting the grain and throw- 

 ing the soil up into ridges by making furrows with this lister, which is a 

 double mold board plow. We are looking across the furrows here, so that 

 the furrow is not brought out. You see here a weed which has escaped 

 the lister, being on top of the furrow. 



The next slide is shown for the purpose of showing the effect in that 

 locality of spring versus fall plowing on the germination. This plat in 

 front was a fall-plowed plat; the plat immediately adjoining it was a 

 spring-plowed plat. You see the grain is well up here, quite plain, whereas 



