320 



THIRD ANNUilL SESSIONS 



in the life of a tree or ornamental shrub. Cultivation during that period 

 should be constant and thorough. 



There are no doubt many crops not mentioned that have proven or 

 will prove their value for dry farming purposes. 



Soil Treatment. 



Plowing is the most important factor connected with dry farming 

 operations. If the plowing is mot properly done an adequate water reser- 

 voir will not be formed in which to store the rain or snow fall. Should 

 this feature of the' work be neglected much of the rain and melting snow 

 will run off from the surface of the ground and be lost instead of sink- 

 ing into the soil, there to be stored. 



Plowing, if possible, should be performed when the soil is fairly moist, 

 so that it will come up mellow and can easily be leveled and fined. Disk- 

 ing immediately after the crop is removed will aid materially in this 

 respect. 



Deep Plowing. 



The character of the soil and the season of the year will largely 

 determine the depth to which it is best to plow. Usually the plowing 

 should be from eight to twelve or more inches deep if done in the fall, 

 obviously somewhat shallower if done in the spri'ng. 



The subsoil plow may follow the plow if after due trial upon small 

 areas it proves beneficial upon that particular soil and subsoil and under 

 the conditions prevailing. The plow should be followed by the sub-surface 

 packer, especially if the plowing has been very deep. If a sub-surface 

 packer is not available the field should be run over w^ith the disk set 

 strai'ght but well down. The sub-surface packer should be followed by 

 the acme harrow or toothed harrow, thus thoroughly pulverizing and fine- 

 ing the surface so as to form a good mulch and at the same time provide 

 against any surface run off of the w^ater that subsequently falls. 



Sub-Surface Packer. 



The sub-surface packing and the formation of a surface mulch should 

 be performed each half day. If the soil is left loose and a large surface 

 exposed to the air for only a few hours, large quantities of mo'sture will 

 be evaporated, pass off into the atmosphere and be lost to the crop. Suc- 

 cess often lies in the proper performance at the right time of these seem- 

 ingly insignificant operations. 



Soil Mulch. 



Experiments, often repeated, have proven that the evaporation of 

 moisture from a soil surface is least when that surface is least exposed 

 to the air. It follows, therefore, that any irregularities in the surface in- 

 creases the surface exposure, which in turn increases the evaporation of 

 moisture. The reason for laying so much stress upon following the plow 

 immediately with the harrow is to prevent the loss of moisture from the 

 irregular surface. Level culture with a fine even surface has proven the 

 best method fcr conserving moisture and for most crops this condition 



