Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1897-05-21
Improved Soil Culture.

Improved Soil Culture.
The Campbell soil culture method
was introduced into North Dakota in
the month of May, 1896. Five expert
mental stations we're located on the
lines of the Northern Pacific railway.
The tools needed were late in reaching
here. The method was entirely new,
| and the best care was taken to select
good practical men for the work. This
was successful in four of the five sta
tions. AS the work progressed, the
various stations were visited, and the
growth of the grain marked, by a
large number of intelligent and prac-
tical farmers.
This was the case most notable at
Lisbon in Ransom county. The land
was on the farm of the Soldiers Home,
and the work was under the direct
supervision of Col. w. w. McIlvain,
the commandant, who, in addition to
being an excellent practical farmer
added that best quality OF soldier,
obedience to orders,'' and the direc-
tions of Mr.. Campbell were most faith
fully carried out. The result was
looked for last fall with great interest.
The wheat, oats and barley was cut
and stacked, and threshing outfit on
its way in October broke through q
bridge over the Sheyenne river and
before it could be rescued and get
there the first snow fell and was fol-
lowed by the severe snowfall of
November I'd and Sd and the grain was
not threshed until this spring, the
wheat early in April, and the barley
May 4th. The oats, like all the oats
in the James River valley, we're badly
rusted and were sold in the stack for
feed during the, winter. The corn was
Of two varieties, the Dent and Flint
and was a most successful experiment,
standing as high as corn grown in
Iowa and ripening completely. Here
is the result:
The yield of corn was:-of Dent Is
bushels of ears per acre, of Flint 80
bushels of ears per acre. The wheat
yield 204 bushels per acre. The bar
ley 504 bushels per acre.
The yield OF wheat in fields adjoin-
ing and in other fields in Ransom
county by the ordinary method was
from to II bushels per acre, the lat
ter being a small acreage adjoining
where potatoes had been grown the
year before. AS is we'll known, eight
bushels per acre was, in Ransom
county, large yield last year. The
j yield of barley by old method was
from 13 to Is bushels per acre, very
seldom, however, was the latter figure
reached. The wheat, oats and barley
was seeded by the Campbell drill in
six rows, two being IS inches apart
and four Is inches-the usual drill
sows in rows from four to five inches
apart. The wheat graded No. l
northern and the barley was high
grade and good color, both being all
winter in stack. At the other stations
where wheat was threshed last fall, the
grade was uniformly No. hard and
80 to 81 pounds per bushel.
The Campbell method was used on
the garden attached to the Soldiers
Home, about six acres, and here is
the result in root crops:
Sugar beets-23.S square rods yield
ed lis bushels, which at So pounds per
bushel is at the rate of $4,000 pounds
per acre.
| Red mangel wurtzel-ls.4 square
rods, 1876 bushels: at SIS pounds per
bushel equal to 81, ,112 pounds per acre.
i Golden Tankard beets- roots,
80 bushels; at 55 pounds per bushel
equal to 81, 125 pounds per acre.
Carrots-35.0 rods yielded at the
rate of 500 bushels per acre.
All these roots were planted in rows
36 inches apart and the cultivator
used during the season.
| The celery crop was exceedingly
fine, and cabbage of the very best
quality, grown in ground worked by
this method, was ready for use July
Is, 1896, and is now being used at the
home.
The above results speak for them
selves and need no words to amplify
them. The corn was superb, and do
not know OF a field of corn east of the
Missouri by which to compare it.
The results of the other stations
were satisfactory. At three of them
the yield of wheat, oats and barley was
from % to 35 per cent above adjoin-
ing fields on the old method and in all