THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



191 



know that any man acquiesed in my suggestions in my early work. I 

 have gone on single handed. I have not been backed by the Treasury of 

 the Government, by the state, or the railroads. I have overcome some 

 inconveniences, but 1 have kept steadily at it, until I have reached some 

 conclusions that 1 know are correct, notwithstanding any contradiction 

 of the soil and bring results. It is not confined to mechanical work. It is 

 whatever. I know there are principles that we can follow in the tillage 

 impossible to tell you that you shall plow a certain depth, that you shall 

 use a sub-surface packer, and thereby get results. 



Necessity for Study. 



"You must, however, understand certain physical conditions of the 

 soil, which must be obtained if you get results. There are many theories 

 advanced and many systems, so-called, mentioned, but mark you, gentle- 

 men, every one of them when applied to the soil bring results just in 

 proportion to the nearness with which they reach that certain physical 

 condition of the soil. 



Soil Treatment. 



"For better words to explain, I will emphasize in this way, that to 

 get results from our soil, no matter where, in Illinois, the New England 

 States, semi-arid, or by irrigation, the result in growing crops depends 

 on the soil cultivation by which we can use air and water. Air is just 

 as necessary as water, but they must be there in the proper quantities. 



Sub Surface Packer. 



"In our process of work we have devised what rs called a sub-surface 

 packer. The first one built was in 1885 in a blacksmith shop in South 

 Dakota, and last December in the State of Washington, I actually met 

 that same device. That device was not a success, except to demonstrate 

 that there was a correctness in the principle. It was simply in form 

 a spring tooth harrow with teeth made of 1-4x7-8 inch steel and drawn 

 back. The idea was that with the weight on top, the individual teeth 

 would pack the loose places and packing over the under portion of the 

 soil is absolutely necessary. When you plow your ground deeply and 

 you simply work the surface with the harrow or common tools used, and 

 do not work that under portion and get that down firm, your crop is a 

 fa"lure, if you have a dry season. It is just in proportion to the season. 



Soil Mulch. 



"A man who settles his ground in this way, who has an irrigation 

 ditch to turn loose, miay dissolve that under portion, but the crop will de- 

 pend on the condition he leaves the top in. If he doesn't loosen it up to 

 admit the air as well as to conserve the water, he will not get the best 

 possible results. When we recognize the fact that the average yield 



Wheat Averages. 



of wheat in the majority of states east of the Rockies ranges from 

 13 to 15 bushels, and then recognize the fact that as high as 67 bushels 

 have been grown in Nebraska by thorough, systematic work; that a gen- 



