34 



DRY-FARMING CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



are encouraging that just as much as the rest of us, because the thing the 

 railroad is interested in is a permanent crop of homes along its line. 



I have not used my case in making these remarks as a chairman of 

 a political meeting, who was called upon to present a speaker at the even- 

 ing meeting. He said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have the great pleasure 

 of introducing Liberty Hyde Bailey, who will give us an address on Rural 

 Betterment, but before calling on Mr. Bailey, I wish to call on the Reverend 

 Mr. Smith, who will invoke the blessings of Almighty God!" I thank you. 



DEAN JARDINE : 



We will now hear from North Dakota, a good state to follow New 

 Mexico. J. H. Sheppard is scheduled for this report. Is he here? Well, 

 I know a man from North Dakota who can make a splendid talk. Doctor 

 Worst. 



North Dakota 



DOCTOR WORST: 



The other men and one woman have used the time so well that I do 

 not have a single personal regret for the time they took. 



The difference between North Dakota and New Mexico, in fact, its 

 dry-farming problem, varies with different climatic and soil conditions. 

 The two things that seem the most adverse to North Dakota, I consider 

 her greatest blessings. First, we have long winters. For about five 

 months in the year we lose no moisture and consequently we are perhaps 

 in better condition to withstand drought than they are in New Mexico, or 

 even here in Wichita. Another thing is the fact that we have a limited 

 rainfall. I consider too much water just as bad as too little. 



We are trying to teach the people in North Dakota that the cow 

 occupies the central position in this great problem of moisture conserva- 

 tion, because in order to keep a cow on the farm we must cultivate a cer- 

 + >ain part of the farm every year to corn or other crops, and feeding these 

 to the cow, she returns to the farmer about $19 worth of manure, which, 

 applied to the soil, not only retards evaporation, but a plant will come to 

 maturity on a little more than one-half as much water. There is a given 

 amount of fertilizer that comes from the soil to mature the plant. Now, 

 if the soil water is held through that fertilizer, why the plant needs to 

 bring in that much less. It is not the quantity of water the plant wants, 

 but what the water, combined with the plant, brings into it. 



We plow deep so we can conserve the moisture. We have learned that 

 from the time the seed germinates until the harvest is ready, the growing 

 plants, except kafir, will wait for it to rain, but wheat and corn must have 

 sufficient time from the time the seed germinates until the harvest is 

 ready, and if the drought should be prolonged for ten days or two weeks 

 the crop is absolutely ruined. The whole system is to have a reserve of 

 moisture in the soil so that when the clouds fail to give it up, the soil 

 must have it. As it is, we take desperate chances as farmers on that very 

 thing, because it is the constant percentage of moisture in the soil all the 



