THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



313 



Deep Plowing. 



We believe in deep plowing, because we want this moisture to 

 spread down around each one of the soil grains. When Bishop Farrell 

 first started his experiments in Cache valley, many years ago, and Mr. 

 Salisbury started his exDeriments, they both had this experience. 



Seeding. 



They went out and sowed the same amount of seed on their land, as 

 they had been accustomed to sowing on irrigated land — a bushel and a 

 half and two bushels and a half — and, as a consequence, there was not 

 sufficient moisture in the ground to nourish all the nlants. The plants 

 came up and, there not being sufficient moisture in the ground to carry 

 them through, they withered and died. Mr. Salisbury said that his fail- 

 ures during the first three or four years were simply because he did 

 not learn the great lesson of putting only sufficient seed on the land to 

 be reconciled with the amount of moisture present in the soil to carry 



Light Seeding. 



it through. So now it has come in Utah that we are advocating the idea 

 of seeding a very small amount of seed. Deep seeding, seeding with a 

 drill, putting it down where the moisture is found, are the means by 

 which we have been able to succeed in dry farming in this state. Our 

 great problem is the best way of conserving what moisture we have. 



Acreage Yields. 



It has been demonstrated time and time, and again, that a yield of 33 

 bushels of wheat can be produced on land fallowed every other year, 

 while if the same field is cropping annually, the yield is cut down 12, 13 or 

 14 bushels. We find also that we do double the amount of work to pro- 

 duce 12 or 13 bushels which is required to produce 33 bushels. So we 

 can say, it has been demonstrated and is conceded that our summer fal- 

 lowing is a matter of preserving the moisture. 



7. DRY LAND INVESTIGATIONS IN GREAT PLAINS AREA. 



Abstract from address at the Salt Lake Congress by Prof. E. C. 

 Chilcott, in charge, Office of Dry Liand Agriculture, U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture. 



"This I conceive to be the legitimate function of the Office of Dry 

 Land Agriculture. It is to afford facilities for bringing into the field of 

 investigation of the scientific problems of dry land agriculture, a corps 

 of trained scientists, each one a specialist in some one line, these men 

 may prove to be "troublesome experts" who will "cast discredit on the 

 slippery sport" of "holding the eel by the tail," if there chance to be 

 those who are still addicted to this slippery sport. They certainly will 

 "submit to all mortifying tests" any theories that may be advanced con- 

 cerning the practice of dry land agriculture in the Great Plains area, 

 and it is quite poissible that they may play havoc with some systems 



