Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low RainfallWidtsoe, John Andreas
Science
Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall
Widtsoe, John Andreas
Dry farming
A large portion of the dry-farm territory of the United States is
covered with sagebrush and related plants. It is always a difficult
and usually an expensive problem to clear sagebrush land, for the
shrubs are frequently from two to six feet high, correspondingly
deep-rooted, with very tough wood. When the soil is dry, it is
extremely difficult to pull out sagebrush, and of necessity much of
the clearing must be done during the dry season. Numerous devices
have been suggested and tried for the purpose of clearing sagebrush
land. One of the oldest and also one of the most effective devices
is two parallel railroad rails connected with heavy iron chains and
used as a drag over the sagebrush land. The sage is caught by the
two rails and torn out of the ground. The clearing is fairly
complete, though it is generally necessary to go over the ground two
or three times before the work is completed. Even after such
treatment a large number of sagebrush clumps, found standing over
the field, must be grubbed up with the hoe. Another and effective
device is the so-called "mankiller." This implement pulls up the
sage very successfully and drops it at certain definite intervals.
It is, however, a very dangerous implement and frequently results in
injury to the men who work it. Of recent years another device has
been tried with a great deal of success. It is made like a snow plow
of heavy railroad irons to which a number of large steel knives have
been bolted. Neither of these implements is wholly satisfactory, and
an acceptable machine for grubbing sagebrush is yet to be devised.
In view of the large expense attached to the clearing of sagebrush
land such a machine would be of great help in the advancement of
dry-farming.
Away from the sagebrush country the virgin dry-farm land is usually
covered with a more or less dense growth of grass, though true sod
is seldom found under dry-farm conditions. The ordinary breaking
plow, characterized by a long sloping moldboard, is the best known
implement for breaking all kinds of sod. (See Fig. 7a a.) Where the
sod is very light, as on the far western prairies, the more ordinary
forms of plows may be used. In still other sections, the dry-farm
land is covered with a scattered growth of trees, frequently pinion
pine and cedars, and in Arizona and New Mexico the mesquite tree and
cacti are to be removed. Such clearing has to be done in accordance
with the special needs of the locality.
Plowing
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