Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-06-22
LECTURES ARE ALL PRACTICAL
Profs. Linfield and Chestnut and |. D.
o'Donnell Conduct the Inst.
tute Meeting.

aSAH .
OF the experiment station at the Boze-
man Agricultural college. V. X. Chest
nut, who is employed in the biologi-
cal department OF the same institu-
ton. and /. d. O'Donnell, of Billings,
the widely known alfalfa expert, were
the instructors.
The institute was held under some
great disadvantages. There have
been three or four p"ostponements OF
the date for holding the institute, due.
however, to no fault of those having
The institute in charge, as the dates
were set last winter while the rail
road was temporarily Out OF commits
SIGN Oil account OF snow ~blockades.
Despite these disappointments, the
three members Of the institute we're
met by good crowds AT both the af-
ternoon and evening meetings.
There are a number OF rancherS in
the city in attendance at court, eth
er as Jurors or witnesses. and all who
were moi prevented by their services
in the court room took advantage of
the opportunity to hear the lectures.
The best meeting was held in the ev-
ening.
Prof. Iinieid, who is also the Sec
u. tar ,T tho DnarI nf Eartnnrcf In
stitutes. gave an interesting and in
stIuctive talk on the subject OF irriga'
tiCn. He stated in the beginning that
this county is peculiarly fortunate in
that good crops can be raised and are
raised on benches wheIs irrigation is
impossible. Also in the valleys, good
crops can be raised with only the
moisture which naturally falls from
the clouds. but better crops can be
raised where water is applied through
irrigation. The speaker dwelt at some
length upon the necessity Of thorough
ly understanding the amount OF wa
ter which is required by different
crops. In the irrigation of wheat,
care must be taken not to turn on
too much water, as the ripening OF
the wheat is retarded in this way and
the likelihood of 1t being damaged
by frost before il is ready to be har,
vested is increased.
In telling how to irrigate Prof. Lii
field urged that ground which is to
be sown in grain in the spring be
plowed in the fall if possible. Ground
which is broken in the fall has set
tied in the spring SO that it more
readily retains the moisture when II
is applied. II broken In the spring
there are numerous holes in tho
gIound through which the air freely
Circulates, taking up the moisture by
evaporation almost as fast as il Is
turned on. One way to avoid this, The
speaker said. is to harrow the ground
on the same day that it is plowed
The harrow breaks up the large clod:
and fills up the holes. preventing the
circulation of the air and the conse
quent evaporation of the moisture.
Turning his attention TO the best
fall crops for this part OF the coun
ty, Prof. Linfield stated that fall rye
and fall wheat have been the most
9uNN Nooluiis ldlOtu, boNH btlhS WI
hardy. early ripening and deep root
ed. He also suggested the advisable
ity of trying the raising OF macaroni
wheat and ball barley. One mistake
he stated, that is frequently made by
grain raisers is that they SOW toi
much grain on their land. He citeC
the case of a rancher friend in anoth
er part of the state who makes IL c
practice to SOW but 80 pounds o
wheat to the acre. and who rarely il
ever makes a failure OF a grain crop
Sixty pounds he considered sufficient
but the exact amount that is best 70.
the ground is something for tn,
rancher who owns the land 10 find GU
for himsel.
The speaker also emphasized tn,
necessity of conserving the f%ertilit,
of the ground by changing the croI
sown. Wheat or any other grair
which is sown steadily on a piece o
ground for year after year will soor
wear out the soil and the yield viii
gradually decrease. He gave the re
suits of some experiments at the eX
pertinent station, which show tina
wheat. barley or oats will grow hes
after the land has been sown to peas
clover or sugar beats one or NOR,
seasons. In closing Prof. LlnfielC
recommended the growing of alfaif;
on bench land for the purpose o
Strengthening and fertilizing the soil
|. ID. O'Donnell. of Billings. follow
ed Prof. Linfeld with a paper on th'
subject, Possibilities of Alfalfa" MI
O'Donnell has probably had more ex
perience with the raising and feed
ing of alfalfa than any other man il
Montana. ii not in the United States
He has a large ranch sown TO alfalf;
liz the Yellowstone valley near Bill
ings and annually feeds thousands o
sheep. By way of introduction. h,
stated that alfalfa was raised IL
Greece as early as $50 b. C. And tina
II was considered a great forage GRO
by the Romans in the days of Con
stantine. 1t was brought to CalifoI
MIA from Chill in 1854. and from tina
state has spread all owe the west
There are many things about tn
plant which are most remarkable. II
roots will average 10 feet in dept
and there is on record a case in Colo
RADIO where the root went down int,
the ground 129 feet. On the othe
hand, II can stand more water with
out suffering injury than any othe
plant.
Seven tons of alfalfa a season pc
acre is about the average crop an,
from 8 to 10 bushels of seed can b
secured from every acre of alfalfa
Dry alfalfa is as palatable as Jun
grass and it is the greatest hone.
plant grown. 1t can be ground int
meal and makes an excellent feed TO
hogs and poultry. One irrigated acr