Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-01-19
or VALUE TO FARMERS
The Influence Of Tillage
Upon Wheat
Yield

Yield
Many wheat lands unnecessarily de-
cline in yield because they do not re-
oeive the right kind of tillsge. While
1t IS not possible by tillage alone to
make old wheat lands produce ss
much 90 when they were first brought
under cultivation, it is possible to ma
tefiallY add to their crop producing
power and to CAUSE them to produce q
better quality of grain.
OLD wheat lands are generally
plowed too shallow. When lands are
new and first brought under cultiva.
ton, shallow blowing was neces.
sary in order to prevent lodging of
the crop. AS the soils nave become
older, this difficulty has lessened and
now deeper blowing can be advan-
tageously practiced. On old lands,
deeper and more Thorough cultiva-
tion is necessary in order to bring
about the necessary chemical changes
which result In the liberation of
larger crops.
When soils are new, deep blowing
and Observation-Disclosures cause unnec-
esssry liberation Of plant food, but
AZ the soil becomes older there is a
lack of available plant food and hence
more thorough cultivation is neces.
sary.
All our wheat lands could be plowed
to advantage an inch deeper, and If
given more thorough cultivation fern
one to three bushels per acre could be
added to the yield and the quality of
the grain would be improved
Shallow blowing is very generally
practioed throughout al the north
west. but in the principal whest- pro-
ducing regions of Europe in SIMILAR
latitude the Ct il is more thorouQhly
cultivated and to greater depth,
which is one OF the reasons why larger
yields psr acre are secured "
The experiments &, that have been
made as to the comparat ve yields
from shallow and average blowing
have shown q difference of from one
to three bushels per acre in favor of
mediumlv deep blowing against shall.
low blowing.
Experiments have also shown that
with fall blowing there is an increase
of from one to two bushels per acre
over spring plowed land. In q series
Of tests carried on for seven years at
the North Dakota experim emit station,
1t was found that tha fall plowed land
averaged 1919 bushels per acre. while
spring plowed land averaged 1872
bushels.
When the land is we'll prepared In
the fall, it is possible to seed the crop
much earlier, and, in years of insect
rayages and fungus diseases the early
seeded crops escape with very much
ess damage.
shallow spring blowing often leaves
the land in poor condition for q sac
ceeding wheat crop because OF turning
under the straw and cutting of the
furrowsliee from the sub-soil, thus
leaving q dry and poorly prepared
seed bed. This is particularly the
case In those regions wnere the head
or ia used for cutting grain and the
straw is turned under in blowing.
Removal of the excess of straw by
burning over the stubole is not desir-
able. While this practice results in
temporarily increasing the yield per
acre by improving the physical condi-
ton of the soil, if long continued it
reduces the fertility by causing ex-
cesslve losses of nitrogen and humus-
forming materials.
Old wheat LANDS, where the straw
and stubble have been burned year
after year, are in much lower state
of fertility than lands where other
methods have been employed. Elk.
cept in years Of insect ravages, the
burning of straw and stubble should
not be practiced. The burning Of the
straw is unnecessary when a suitable
rotation of CROPS is followed,
Frequently 1t has been suggested,
that if wheat were cultivated the
same ss are other crops in the early
stages Of growth, much larger yields
per acre could be secured. Expert.
ments, however, have shown that
the cultivation is continued for more
than ten days after seeding, loss in
the yield Tesults If the wheat land
10 cultivated within week after seed.
ing ano before the crop. is up, it is
beneficial and will result In the add.
tipn Of shout b bushel per acre to the
Yield. Such treatment Of tie soil re.
duces the NUMBER OF weeds. - -
NExperlments on the northW esteru
vheat lands with disc and ordinary
taows nave, shown that there is but
little di6srenc6s hetween, 1.-THE twt
methods of blowing, although o1din
~ blowing in average seasons rive
slightly better results than dlsc pillow,
Ing. s1:.s ~. = - go
Sab soil,ng, stopa depth Of foux ani
eight inches, that 10 stirring the sol
immediately under the furIow slic'
without bringing 1t TO the surface
!, has not been particularly benei3cia
upon the heavier wheat lands Of tn
northwest. Several years ago 1t va
believed that this method of treating
wheat lands wouldd prove beneRcia
and it was extensively advocated +!