The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-02-08

will require $50 lbs. Of barbed wire
and 1872 posts 3 It. by 6 in.
$50 lbs. wire at &c. .$24.0O
6 lbs. staples at 211c.. "a
1874 posts, 3 it. by in., at 1Oc.. 1910
Cost of material. ....$42.64
The material for the fence should
last at least six years.
Thus, the cost per year of fence
material equals. $40
Interest on $42.64 for year at
per cent. 2.66
Labor to put up or move 800 rods
of fence. GOO
Total cost per year. 1886
Cost per acre for fencing % acres
equals Tic.
The growing of corn or following is
made necessary by the excessive
weakness of the land. 1t is believed
that careful study of the compare
tive cost of following and growing
corn as suggested above, together
with the advantages of growing the
corn crop is sufficient to convince any
one OF the desirability OF the corn
over the fallow. Many of the most
careful farmers in the valley have
said that they can depend on getting
four bushels per acre more wheat on
corn land than on summer fallowed
land, owing to the fact that ON sum-
mer fallowed land too heavy n crop of
straw is grown. es5,
Assuming that the corn Ia of no
more value to the land than summer
fallow and that enough must be got
ten out Of the corn crop to pay the
extra cost of growing it over the cost
of following we still have a very feas-
ible proposition.
Cost per acre of growing corn 4
above cost Of following. .$2.O4
Cost per acre of fencing corn field II
Total cost per acre of corn. .$275
To use this corn then without loss
80 lbs. of beef at SC per pound would
have to be produced from an acre of
corn. Three times that amount can
reasonably be expected, especially II
rape or some such forage crop were
sown in the corn at the last cultiya-
ton. Many farmers are getting so or
more pounds of mutton or beef per
acre every fall from their stubble
fields where rape was sown in spring
with the grain. =" ''''''
On most Red river valley farms OF
160 acres % acres of grass land can
be used to advantage, part for pasture
and part for hay. II creamery or
other market for dairy products ia
convenient and the farmer has a taste
for dairying, 6 to 16 cows can be kept
at profit. More grass would then be
needed and two fields could then be
used for grass. The first year after
seeding could be used for hay and the
second year which is marked I'm the
plat grain or grass" could be used
for pasture. This, Of course, would
reduce the amount of grain grown by
% acres.
The rotation of pastures is a mat
ter which does not generally meet
with the approval If the average
farmer, owing to the cost of moving
the fence or else keeping up perma-
nent fences. However, if the larger
yields of both pasture and grain are
considered one can we'll afford the
slight expense of moving the fence,
which is not over soc per acre. Every
farmer knows that the first year or
two Of meadow or pasture gives bet
ter yields than old grass sod; if the
grass sod is broken up after one or
two years and sown to grain instead
of some field which has been growing
grain for three or four years, 1t will
give yield of two to ten bushels
more wheat or ten to thirty bushels
more oats per acre than the old grain
field. The pasture on the new meadow
will be worth enough more than that
on the old meadow to more than pay
for moving the fence and the increas-
ed yield of grain on the pasture sod
will be clear gain.
A feature of this rotation which
may be overlooked is the lessened
amount of labor required to operate
the farm. The corn field is disced
for wheat and the meadow of course
is not plowed so that instead of plow-
ing the whole 100 acres as is the case
with exclusive farming, but five fields,
or 10 acres, are piowed each year,
or If two fields are needed for hay
and pasture but four fields, or SO
acres, will be plowed each year.
The term grain is used on the plat
to indicate crops to be grown each
year instead of some specific term
such as wheat or flax. This is to give
leeway to the farmer to grow any of,
the grain crops likely to give him the
best returns financially. Flax, oats,
barley or wheat may be grown on the
fields marked grain, except that it
would not be wise to SOW fax oftener
than once during the rotation of seven
years. The best place for this, II it is
desired to grow flax, would be follow
ing the grass each year. The other
years any grain crop desired can be
grown. II weeds begin to trouble, a
crop of barley could be raised to hold
them In check until the field would
come into corn and grass which would
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