Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-05-22
INSTITUTE PAPERS.
FOR CROPS.

fRstitute ct Wa-k6eney, FRIDAY, March "a, lS6G
Mr.. Chairman: have taken the lber.
ty to change the proposition 'tof' into
.'for" in the above subject for discussion
for the reason that most of the crops sue
cessfully raised in Trego county do not
need any cultivation, as wheat, rye, oats,
barley, millet and sorghum, when sown
broadcast or drilled; and as no particular
crop, corn or potatoes, for instance, was
mentioned, / found it difficult to enter
upon any discussion at all on the subject
of Cultivation Of Crops" So, suppos-
ing the subject means ''for crops" 1 will
proceed by saying that where many
different soils, and conditions OF soils ex-
ist, it is difficult to pyomulgate any set
rule that will be equally successful at all
times.
Trego county contains about So per
cent Of bench land, 10 per cent. of sec
,ond bottom land and 2 per cent. of first
bottom Hand, and as cultivation of each
particular kind of land requires different
processes for different crops. will confne
my thoughts to the cultivation of bench
lands, there being nearly nine times more
of this kind of land under cultivation in
Trego county than both the other kinds
together; and, further, my own farm,
which is mostly bench land, of which 1
have about 100 acres under cultivation,
requires different preparation from that
OF my neighbor, who has mostly first or
second bottoms under cultivation. I
want it distinctly understood that these
remarks refer to my own personal eX-
periepce and observations of the ex-
treated of the preparation of soil for
II into Iafn 10 of
methods for breaking the sod, second
breaking and first stirring, but will con-
fine my remarks to the proper treatment
of land which has had this operation per-
formed, and is ready on fourth or some
raising OF crop.
principal crops in Trego county, and the
upon the cultivation one gives in advance
OF seeding.
How to raise successful crop of
wheat or rye: What 1 mean by sue
cessful crop, is how to secure the
heaviest possible yield with the least
possible labor and expense. Having in
view the pulling in of a crop OF wheat
next fall, select piece of ground
u.
This 1 cultivate thoroughly in the fol-
lowing manner: Beginning say about the
TO of May, stir the land as deeply as
possible, say from six to eight inches,
using fourteen inch pillow, and general
ly putting three horses to the pillow.
As the blowing proceeds l have corn,
sorghum or rice corn dropped into every
third furrow on the mold board side, and
each evening thoroughly drag all the
land plowed during the day. As soon as
the corn is well ont of the ground /
woEla drag it again thoroughly; this
Process not only mellows the soil, but it
kills myriads of weeds. When the corn
has attained a sufficient height l begin
operations with cultivator, which I
keep up until harvest time, when the
corn ought to be ready to lay by. AS
soon as the corn is well advanced into the
dough state, in the fall, we cut it up into
Shocks, making each shock, say fourteen
crows square and keeping them in as
fstraight rows as possible. then follow
|, up with the drill, putting in from one
half bushel to one bushel of good, clean
wheat to each acre, according to the sea-
son. Ii the soil is moist, from one-half
to wo-thirds of bushel is enough, but
if quite dry | put in more; my object be-
ing to secure good stand. Should this
not give me acreage enough, [ select the
cleanest and mellowest piece of stubble
land I have and as soon after the 25 of
August as possible, will run the drill
through it, giving not to exceed one
bushel of seed to the acre. Should I
have piece of ground which is so foul |
or hard as to require summer blowing, [ |
would, as soon after the Is of Au-
gust as possible, drill it to rye. 1 do not |
like to drill wheat on summer blowing. |
as the snow blows off it, and the hard
freezing of winter like the past one kills |
the plants. Rye, being harder, does well |
on freshly plowed land. 1 also drill rye
into stubble land with good success
where the surface is mellow and not too
foul with weeds or grass. My object in
sowing wheat and rye very early in the
fall, is because it gets good start, and
makes better fall and winter pasture.
For oats, millet and barley I give the
same cultivation. AS believe in sowing
oats and barley as early in the spring as
the ground can be worked, 1 make pre-
paration in the fall. Selecting piece of
land on which two or three crops have
been raised since blowing, I proceed to
pillow it thoroughly in the fall, and do not
drag it until the frost is out in the spring
BY this time the soil is somewhat packed
then follow as soon as possible with the
drill, putting in from one to two bushels
OF seed to the acre, according TO the con-
ditions and the crop. Oats will bear
more seed to the acre than barley. After
drilling in the seed, the land should he
rolled So as to leave it as smooth as pos
slble, Cor if the crop should be short in ,
the straw, it can be more easily gathered.
l also put oats on land where crop of
corn or sorghum has been raised the pre-
vious year. As soon as the frost is out, I ,
proceed to thoroughly cultivate with
corn cultivation. Then drill in the seed
Of the cultivation, after which 1 =
roll to level the soil and break down the :
corn stalks. The heaviest crop of oats [ !
ever raised was prepared for in this man.
ner. never tried barley in this manner,
brt think it might do well. For millet 1
prepare the ground the same as for oats ]
and barley, but SOW later in the season,
when the ground gets warm. Have Il
'own as late as July l, and had a good t
sIap. When sorghum is drilled in pre- d
pare the same IS for millet.
In speaking Of the cultivation for
wheai l incidentally mentioned how 1
would plant corn, sorghum or rice corn. o
use this method Of planting corn be- !,
'ause 1t Is decidedly the cheapest way to
secure crop, and it can be cultivated '
ust as easily as if the corn was listed, '
md as the roots OF the corn are in the
'osld, packed soil underneath, it with