Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-07-01
CROPPING NEW LAND.

CROPPING NEW LAND.
valuable Suggestions for Settlers On Wr10
Lands in the Northwest..
New land, most of which Is prairie
in the Northwest, is plowed the season
previous to cropping. to kill and more
or less complete the decay of the roots.
decay being prerequisite to facilitate
the pulverization of the soil. There are
few exceptions to this rule. For i'm
stance, turnips and swedes are planted,
en- small scale. on the sod of early
broken land in June or July of the
same season. Beans are also planted
in some cases, on sod.
The rate Of decay varies according
to the time when the land IS first
plowed. In most seasons the sod Of land
plowed in May and June, rots far
more rapidly than that plowcd between
June 20 and the middle of July. In
fact, it is considered injudicious, and
worse than labor lost. to break up new
prairie land after July 4.
The prevailing idea is, that corn can
not be prOfitably grown as new and
first crop; but this depends on the con-
dition Of the pulverization of the soil
If new breaking done between May
20 and June 20, three inches deep, is
cross-rlowed the following September
five inches deep, and given two extra
harrowings-one just before freezing
up in November, and another when
preparing to plant tho corn-a crop of
thirty or forty bushels per acre can be
grown, as proved years ago ON eight
acres treated as described.
The general poor success with corn
on new land. is due to the poor prep
aration of the land itself. not to any in
herent defect of the soil. If it is desir-
able to raise corn. the land should be
broken between May Is and the mid
die of June, to facilitate the rapid rot
ting of the grass roots, which, in COM
mon with the top growth. are moro
succulent during this interval than
later. BY cross-plowing, instead of
back-setting Cunning the burrows back
lineally is back-setting), the burrows
are cut into twelve, fourteen, or six-
teen-inch pieces, according to width Of
pillow nsed. The following mode may
be adopted by new settlers in Dakota
or elsewhere: The sod can be cross
plowed or back-set five inches deep in
September, blowing once only. This
course brings up new soil, to be natu-
rally pulverized by freezing and thaw-
ing the succeeding winter; but the fur
row slices, containing the mass of grass
roots, are not much broken down or
pulverized in this way, the harrows not
working as deep as the ground is
plowed. Two plowings in the fall
when the corn is to be planted in the
spring-wlll, however. cure the trouble.
The first blowing need be only as deep
as the breaking pillow works, say two
and one-half to three inches. Harrow
ing well, after blowing back, pulver-
ICES this surface soil, also breaking up
It's contained growth of roots. The sod
being plowed and well narrowed, pillow
again five inches deep. This course
puts the rich vegetable mold down to
a depth of three to five inches, where
the corn roots readily reach it, putting
two and one-half to three inches of
rootlets or clean soil on top of the richer
soil it covers. In this way, by efficient
work, fair to full crops of corn can be
raised.
There are two reasons why corn does
not generally do we'll as first crop on
new land. One is that shallow break
ing-from two to three inches deep
does not supply pulverized soil of suf-
ticient depth for the feeding roots; an
other is that in working corn on new
land the half.1ecaved roots Still find
pieces Of sod as large as ones hand to-
gether, and these being moved by the
cultivators in working. the corn roots
and plants are more or less moved,
thus arresting growth and spelling the
corn. But this can not happen if the
deep blowing in September is done, or
if two plowings are made as suggested.
Harrow-cuttlng gang pIows, strong
corn plOws, or disc pulverizers. can be
used crossways of the furrow between
the first and second plowings, if two
plowings are made, to increase pulveri-
cation.
Wheat generally does best as the first
crop, as the soil is not plowed more
than two and half inches deep, on the
average. the ground being narrowed
once or twice before seeding, accord
ing to degree of root decay, and always
twice over after seeding. The main
roots of the wheat easily penetrate the
firm soil that has not been loosened at
q depth of three inches. while the side
roots feed on the soil which has been
pulverized by previous cultivation
J. W. Clarke, in Country Gentleman.