The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-01-27
FALLoWlNG LAND.
Its BENEFITS I'm Dry Districts-Merfts
of Bare and Green FallOws.

Its BENEFITS In Dry Districts-Merits
of Bare and Green FallOws.
We Of Colorado have never thought
much of the summer fallow as an
agency for the improvement Of soil, and
it is possible that we have been over
looking a good thing the while, says the
Denver Field and Farm. We are con-
WINGED that aside from cleaning the
land by bare fallow good results come
from the w~eathering of the soil. The
influence Of air, sunshine and moisture,
freezing and thawing, are favorable to
disintegration, and thus render plant
food available, putting it into form to
be dissolved by water and made use of
by the next crop. The frequent cultiva-
tion during the season necessary for
killing weeds is most conducive to this
work of w%eathering soil and also to the
conservation of moisture as we'll as the
development Of the best physical condi-
tions. The thorough tillage Of orchards
shows this effect by a larger, more per-
feet crop, coming from the additional
food set and the full supply Of mois-
ture retained.
In climates where there is an album
dance of rainfall much of the plant food
made available by bare fallow is lost
through drainage or percolation. Under
such conditions a green fallow is better,
since the elements are put into imme-
diate use when changed to suitable
forms. The objections urged against tbs
practice in humid portions of the u
try do not apply equally we'll to dry
districts like ours, for a finely pulver-
ICED soil, exposed to light r~ainfalls,
does not furnish favorable conditions
for the loss of substances that have been
set free by d~isintegration or changed
into forms ready for the growing plant.
Briefly stated, investigators claim
that following rightly done is beneficial
in the following ways: It clears the land
of weeds and improves it's physical con-
dition, making it loose, fine and mel
low. 1t increases much the productive
ness of the land through the favorable
conditions it offers for changing inert
pJduG lOUu lulO dVdlIdUlo AOIAuS. "A sui
depleted of it's soluble nitrogen, phos-
pilates, lime and potash may be thus
restored to fertility. 1t is found that in
addition to changing the nitrogen al
ready in the soil into soluble compounds
the actual amount is increased through
the absorption Of ammonia from the at
mosphere and also by the addition of
both nitric acid and ammonia brought
down from the air by rains and SHOWS.
The addition of nitrogen is perhaps
the most important result of following,
since by this practice it has been found
that enough is added to grow a crop Of
wheat, 80 bushels an acre, requiring
nearly SO pounds Of nitrogen. 1t makes
soil absorb more moisture by it's im-l
proved mechanical condition and retains
it better through the fine dirt mulch
frequently renewed by cultivation. On
dry farming lands the influence Of this
increase of moisture will show a marked
effect upon the crop that follows. A
bare fallow gives best results for olayey,
tenacious lands, and for destroying
weeds on any kind Of soil, but a green
fallow is usually recommended for light
sandy soils because Of their special need
of the vegetable mold thus added.