The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1904-12-22
Press Bulletin
No. ~

| "HeIe Stock raising Is becoming the
| principal branch of the farm program.
| Ihis Is new country and the farmer
| who Is interested in the stock indus
| try has not had time or spare cash
to build silo in which to store a
supply OF palatable food for winter
feeding, but he has broad acres Of
wheat land which will furnish, in a
measure at least, supply Of succu-
lent food during a period when the
amount of such material is necessari-
ly limited. The plan Of feeding a lib
eral supply of silage or roots to young
growing stock or dairy cows is high.
ly recommended. Since the practice
or growing roots in any quantity for
feeding purposes has been adopted
and since no provision has been made
for the ensilage Of corn, the stockman
is forced to look elsewhere for
supply of succulent material to use
In connection with roughage, as corn
and kaflir stover. or prairie hay, of
which there is generally an abundant
store. During favorable seasons the
wheat fields furnish liberal amount
of fresh green pasture. The weather
Is generally mild and the young stock
or even the dairy cows can be allow
ed to run upon the fields at will
Token In the aggregate, the value
received from the wheat pasture by
the farmers of the territory amounts
to quite large sum of money. In
the year 1903 the wheat crop COM
prised some 1,G43.130 acres, the
major portion of which was pastured
during the fall and winter months
This at $500 per acre, a very mod
crate estimate, would mean a net re.
turn of $4,929,390 for the territory.
This. leads up to the question which
has probably come to the man who
studies and plans as he endeavOrs to
reapa profit from this business. name
IL: to what extent is it advisable to
pasture the wheat throughout the fall
Or winter months? What effect will
very close grazing or keeping stock
upon the fields late in the spring have
upon the yield of grain which is to
be harvested the coming season?
These and other questions suggest
themselves when the subject of pas
turing is considered. In order to an
swer some of these questions the Ok
lahoma experiment station in 1902
| started and carried through some
work pasturing wheat under ordinary
| fed conditions. This work was con-
| linued under almost the same pan
during the last season. The results
Tor the two seasons, the one extreme.
1ly wet and the other extremely dry,
point very emphatically toward de!in-
| tie conclusions.
The season of 1904 was not very
favorable SO far as the wheat was
concerned. The rainfall during the
uniformly. there being an average
monthly precipitation of 3.1G inches
Tor the four months of July to Octo-
Der inclusive. Ground that was plow-
ed early, from the 18th of July to
she 1st of August and cultivated thor
oughly at frequent intervals contain.
ed fair supply of moisture at time
Of seeding. The field in which this
experiment was made was in a fair
condition when seeded. There was
sufficient moisture in the soil to in
sure a perfect termination. hence
The plants made fair growth in the
course OF two months and stock was
turned into the fields the latter part
! Of November. Exceeding dry wealth
er prevailed during the winter
months. The total precipitation for
the six months commencing with No
vember and ending with April was
b0S inches. Soil samples taken from
nnpastured and pastured plats on
February Goth indicated that the soil