Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-08
SCIENCE FOR THE FARMERS
Work Being Done for Agriculture at th
Montana Experiment Station.
Ts WORK IS NO LONGER LAUGHED AT
Many Practical Tests Of Great Value
to Western FarmerH-Be ginning
OF Work SeasOn-showing
for Exposition.

BOHEMIAN. Mont. May 7.-(special. )-The
work for the season at the experiment sta
tion here conducted in connection with the
Montana State Agricultural college has
been entered upon and the plans include a
more general series Of experiments than
ever before. Ten years ago the person who
talked OF scientific farming for Montana
would have been laughed at but not so now.
The experiment station here is under the
direction OF Prof. s. M. Emery, who has with
MIN competent corps OF assistants This
year the customary grain experiments will
be conducted, consisting of variety OF
tests OF perhaps 200 varieties OF grain and
seeds. and there will be a great many tests
OF seeds and plants. 'In addition to deter
mining the best grains for Montana" said
member OF the experiment station force in
speaking OF the work for the year, "other
tests will be made of the proper quantity OF
seed to SOW per acre, also what is known as
pure seed test. process that will eventu-
ally provide each Montana farmer with
sufficient amount of absolutely pure seed to
start him out toward having a stock ade-
quate to his own needs. Pure seed Is of
much greater Importance to the Montana
farmer than is generally imagined. In our
dry climate, grains when ripe must be har-
vested, else they shell and fall to the ground
Suppose one has mixed seed our farmers
usually have in wheat and there is a varia-
tion OF from three days to a week in the
ripening OF the different sorts. II the grain
is cut on the first appearance Of ripening the
result will be a loss from the harvesting of
immatured grain, and IL the crop is held
until the backward ripening sorts are ready
to cut the first will have ripened and sheled
out, so that loss is bound to occur no mat
ter when mixed grain is harvested. The
plat grains will be grown the present year
under what Is known as the Campbell soil
culture system. This system is attracting
much attention in arid regions, as 1t is based
on two theories: Perfect preparation of the
seed bed, to depth of ten inches, and sur
face cultivation Of the crop after planting.
This Is not so formidable thing as it first
appears. First, it requires only about one
half bushels of seed per acre. and a man
and a span of smart walking horses will
easily cultivate twenty acres per day. One
great claim for this system is that it renders
II possible to grow crops without irrigation.
"Other agricultural lines of experiment
will be tests of various root and forage crops,
peas, beets, potatoes, etc The cost of pro-
duction per pound of pork, mutton and beef.
Forestry and Fruits.
"The division OF forestry Of the Depart
ment of Agriculture at Washington has
made a contract with the officers in charge
OF the experiment station, whereby the sta
tion will grow three acres Of experiment
forest this season, this amount to be in
creased to ten acres. This work of forestry
will be OF inestimable value to the state,
as 1t is broadening and extension of work
begun BY Director Emery In 1895 in the
horticultural department of the station.
Good results have come of this work and
considerable stock is now being placed with
planters throughout the state at cost prices
of shade trees, apples, crab, currant black
berries, raspberries and strawberries.
Especial prominence is being given to the
study Of the strawberry. as this has great
value to the fruit growers of Montana. In
mixed lot of fifty eight sorts, the last
year, the fruit yield was at the rate Of 10,
900 pounds per acre, and 1t Is believed that
II the best fruiting sorts are selected this
rate of yield can be doubled. Besides test
ing the productiveness Of Strawberries, they
are being studied for the purpose Of deter
mining whether or not there is a difference
in the ability of the blooms Of different
varieties to resist frost effects 1t rs be-
lieved there is, and II this point can be de-
termined it will be of great value to growers,
as in every part of the United States the
great in the aggregate.
"A most important experiment was in
augurated in 1s97-that Of determining the
effects of crop rotation upon soil fertility.
Realizing the unfairness of arriving at re-
suits based upon the yields from small ex-
. pertinent plats there were set aside six acres
of land for a six years rotation test. The
plan of rotation is first, wheat, in which Is
thin seeding Of clover; second, clover
alone; third, oats; fourth. sugar beets nth
beets; sixth, Canada field peas.
"The position of these crops will be
changed each year one place, and the land
will receive careful tilth, but no manure
during the six years test. Should it prove
that as a result of the test that at the end
OF the sixth year each acre Is as productive
as II was last year the crop yields grown in
1897 being of average yield and quality, II
will be valuable object lesson to the Mon
tana farmers who believe in summer fallow-
ing 1t is believed that by alternating the
three great grain crops of Montana, wheat
oats and barley, with clover, sugar beets and
field peas that full crops Of small grain will
be harvested each year. and If this result be
attained and the Montana farmer is shown
that he can secure in addition to these full
crops OF clover, beets, or other roots, and
field peas, he can in addition to the number
one grain farm which he has maintained
heretofore also have an abundance OF the
finest feed for live stock, horses, cattle
sheep and swine, and raise enough sugar to
supply the million and a quarter pounds OF
sugar bought outside of Montana each year
Many Investigations.
1.-THE analyses OF soils, of waters. OF milk
of grains and forage crops are being con-