224 



DRY 'FARMING CONGRESS. 



half a crop the year following, but the second and third years following 

 he had wonderfully large crops. 



I have been experimenting on the semi-arid plains east and southeast 

 of Denver for the past 22 years, and although noted for having spent more 

 money and time on soils and crops than any other man in eastern Colo- 

 rado, I am here to learn more, and have put up $10 to learn still more 

 (applause) and have ten children I want to have help the good work still 

 go on after I am gone. (Applause.) 



There has been some difference of opinion among the several speak- 

 ers regarding summer fallowing, and rotating with corn or other crops. 

 This is a hard problem to solve, and varies in diffeent localities and on 

 different soils and in different seasons. One year on summer fallowing 

 I had one-third more wheat than on my stock ground, while another year 

 I had 32 bushels of spring wheat per acre on corn stock land that I had 

 put in with a press drill and only harrowed once and only had 23.bushels 

 per acre on my fall plowing. But I believe the reason for this was the 

 corn ground was plowed the spring before deep and was in good condition 

 and cultivated shallow but kept clean, thus retaining the moisture, while 

 the fall plowing had been done while the ground was dry and not' in best . 

 condition. The fall season kept dry and there was not a large amount of 

 moisture to be conserved. And I believe we want to watch sharply to 

 have our land in right condition and when we catch it that way to crowd 

 the work with all possible haste. 



In our vicinity we believe in putting in White Australian corn (like 

 the sample on the farther end of the table) which has a small stock and 

 large ear or ears. Although the stock is often not over three to five feet 

 high it will yield from one to three ears of corn from seven to twelve 

 inches long. Keep the ground clean by shallow cultivation and seed the » 

 land the following spring to Durum wheat. 



I would say right here that we have tried the larger varieties of corn 

 with large stocks and have not had the success in rotation with wheat, 

 but by using the small stock corn that has thejarge ears we can keep the 

 land clean and also if the ground should crack open in the fall we can 

 go through that ground on account of the smallness of the corn and give 

 it a light cultivation. 



I would also say here that I heartily agree with some of the former 

 speakers, that we should select one variety of spring and one variety of 

 fall wheat f,or a whole neighborhood, or perhaps a whole state. We have 

 found that by having several varieties and not many thousands bushels 

 of a kind the large shippers do not call on us. In our vicinity the Durum 

 is the best variety and Denver mills are using this variety to mix with 

 or blend their softer wheat. The Turkey Red is becoming the standard 

 winter wheat. One of my neighbors had 32 bushels per acre of the latter 

 variety in 1906 and 28 1-2 in 1907. Thirty-two bushels per acre of Durum 

 in 1906 and 28 in 1907 was about our best yield. Here is a problem some 

 of our scientific men might figure on. In 1904 we had a very dry season 

 in June and the fore part of July. I had about 12 acres of potatoes, well 



