Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-04-19
FRoST.SlN THE GROUND.
Suxfaee Irritation Draws the Fruy,
SIS aud Settles the Land.

- 4 < ii
surfass Irrigation Draws the Frost
SIS and Settles the Land. g.
Before we had bitches and subirriea.
ton il the San Luis valley alkali ala
not rise to the surface and make the
ground white as snow, because the
moisture was not in the land, says
writer in the Denver field and Farm,
The frost did not penetra 20 so deep and
solid, nor was there much moisture be-
low. Grain would take early irrigation
and draw the frost with no trouble
from alkali. But since subirrigation has
been practiced the land is wet and the
water is near the surface The alkai
land is a clay loan gravel three to ten
feet below, and frost penetrates very
deeply, forming solid body of ice at
least two to three feet deep.
The colder the winter the more alkali
comes to the surface, and the small
rains and SHOWS in April and Nav are
bound to draw out the frost, and the
alkall comes to the surface. The frost
coming up will heave out fenceposts,
telegraph poles and the railroad track
in these places and will raise water to
the surface. Water cannot sink till
frost is all out, and it will heave the
land up where water is not on the sur
face like sponge, and it will remain
SO and will be so soft that it will not
bear the weight of a horse all summer
on the knobs, which we call black al
kali. They are as loose as heap of
ashes, and in going over them the plow
will sink to the beam, and the land will
grow nothing until water is put on the
surface to settle it down.
l have report of two pieces Of land.
One was soft, wet land. The man who
owned it let waste water run on it. In
the spring he told me the land looked
SO good he plowed and put in crops.
Where the water spread over this land
it plowed very hard, and was solid, but
where no water went over it was soft
and miry and he could hardly get the
team across it. Where the water spread
the ground was hard, and there was
good grain. Where it was soft and wet
there were no signs of grain. The other
piece of land was overfowed by we'll
all winter and the water drew the frost
out. There was good grain just as far
as the water spread, but adjoining it
there was nothing, although sown at
the same time
Some people say spring blowing and
late sowing are best on alkai ground.
agree with them as far as it goes, be-
cause when they can plow by turning
the surface it helps the frost below to
come out quicker and the loose surface
allows the air to circulate through it so
the frost does not come 80 close to the
top. In late sowing the frost is much
nearer out, and the land is warmer.
My remedy is to plow the land good
and deep in the summer or fall and
have all bitches prepared and ready in
the spring just as the frost is out three
or four inches. Harrow or level the
surface perfectly smooth when the wa
ter comes, which is about April 1. Turn
it on and food the land all over the
surface. Lei. it alone until all the wa
| ter sinks and the surface is in good con-
dition to work. Then seed it. The OBJ
ject in flooding is to draw the frost.
When it is out, the water will sink in
few days. The land will be dry
enough to work in four or five days. On
such land wheat could be sown from
the 18th to the 25th of April, and by
July 1 such wheat would catch up with
that earlier sown. Oats could follow up
to the 10th to 10th of May. The best
pieces I ever saw were sown at that
time. The land is warmed, SO that the
grain comes up in five or six days, starts
to grow rapidly and needs but one small
irrigation. The frost coming up and
the water sinking deep do not leave the
ground baked as it would be later on.
Hnxx tn Graru aalf,x, pn4o4oaa