Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-02-27

quired in surface cultivating wheat in
rows eighteen inches apart, pays over
the old plan. Wheat will go 30 and 40
bushels, cultivated in this way, in the
driest years. Nearly every good grain
sowed will produce from Is to 20 stools
and have sprouted as high as 80. The
heads fill evenly where there is uni
form amount OF moisture and there are
no short stalks and small, half-filled
heads.
The frequent stirring of the surface
between rows of wheat breaks the lines
of caplllarles and prevent the moisture,
ascending through them, from getting to
the surface. The top of soil culti-
waited this way is hot, dry and dusty, but
underneath the moisture is retained and
defes hot winds and sun to draw 1t out.
Six and nine rows Of wheat can be
cultivated at once, according TO size of
cultivators. There IS always enough
annual average OF rainfall in North Da-
kota and South Dakota to mature a
crop, if it could be saved from evapor-
ating. Mr.. Campbell says the principle
of this cultivation is comparatively new,
yet in gardening and in raising small
fruits the reports are now contin ually
coming IN of the greatest of success
with the plan.
Any farmer can remember how wheat
shows better in wagon track across a
field, or in an old road which has been
pressed down and the surface cultivated.
That is the principle being used by the
machines.
The railroads have become interested
in the matter and the Northern Pacific
will put out five of the packers and cul-
tivators as experiments this year, one of
which is to be made near jamestown
Actual demonstration is to be given of
this plan, which bears signs Of being the
only practical method to prevent the
evaporation of moisture from fields, yet
proposed.
Mr.. Campbell went north to Caring
ton today, where he lectures on soil
culture. For the lecture the 500 road
offered a rate of single fare from all
stations between Enderlin and Mnot-
100 miles each way from Darlington.
The best conditions OF soil for plant
growth is to contain from IA to IS per
cent of Its weight IN moisture. Soil
with but per cent is dry, and not until
it has 10 per cent is it considered moist
Cultivation of wheat is continued by
the new process until it is in blossom,
and as often as once week If in dry hot
weather. The idea is to farm less land,
but do the work more thoroughly.
Some figures made by the department
of agriculture IN the summer Of 1894
show the difference in loss of moisture
between subsoil cultivation and the ordi-
nary plowlng. A test made showed on
June 26th that in ground treated by
packing the soil contained II per cent Of
moisture, and in ordinary condition 7
per cent. June q there was rainfall
Of 81 inches and June % test of the
soil cultivated by packing showed that
there was but 10 per cent of moisture to
81 per cent absorbed in the soil Guilt
vated in the ordinary manner. July 7
another test showed that the packed
soil contained tx per cent moisture
and that the ordinary cultivation had
lost all but per cent of the 81 inches
of rain.
By the new method 50 stalks of barley
have been found from one seed. A
spring tooth harrow one and one-half
inch blade IS used in cultivating the sur
face ground.