Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-08-14

ground if necessary, and if not, seed
it with disk drill, preferably putting
| the rows north and south. This is
the cheapest way, because all the ga
penSe chargeablc to the wheat crop is
simply the seed and the seeding,
amounting to less than two dollars al
acre. There is no further expense till
the harvesting. Wheat can be grown
on this plan on good land at labor
cost of from 20 to 80 cents bushel.
This plan, however, is practicable
only south of the latitude of Des
| MOineS. because the large varieties OF
corn grown in that section render
maturing impossible until too late to
sow winter wheat and give it time
enough to cover the ground before
frost.
North of the latitude of Des Moines
we advise different method, which,
although more expensive in the way
of labor, will yet as rule bring from
two to five bushels greater yield. This
method is to select oats stubble that
has followed corn, and which again
has followed clover sod we'll manured,
disk that, giving half lap, as soon
as the oats can be removed, then
plow, harrow Immediately after plow-
drill in the grain, and, while we have
never tried it, we would take the
| chances and put in bushel of oats
with bushel and peck of Turkey
| Red winter wheat. The object in
seeding the oats is to have sufficient
| vegetable growth on the ground to
protect it and check the blowing of
| winter winds.
This is one of our stock subjects
for treatment about this time Of the
year. When we commenced talking
this way about ten years ago farmers
were skeptical; but here and there
farmer on the line of the Northwest
ern railroad in Iowa tried it and sue
ceeded in growing thirty to thirty-fve
bushels of wheat. This has encour-
aged other farmers to follow their ex-
ample; but as is frequently the case,
they are liable to follow their exam
but not to follow it in the careful
methods of preparation of the soil.
Hence it would not surprise us If
many farmers report failure this year
and conclude that "growing winter
wheat is not what it is cracked up to
be-" forgetful of the fact that they
have not complied with the condi-
tionS by the compliance with which
alone winter wheat is a sure crop.
We do not pretend to say that it is
sure crop every year; for there are
some seasons, probably one in ten,
when winter wheat will be killed In
the latitude of northern Iowa. Grown
in this way, however, it will survive
any winter that clover will survive.
We do not stop growing clover be-
cause occasionally it kills out; and
we regard winter wheat as harder
even than common red clover, prac-
tically as hardy as rye.
1t is a great qualification to us to
know that In the report of the
Weather and Crop Service winter
wheat was reported last year from
every county in Iowa but three, and
these in the Wisconsin glaciation, in
the northern part of which we had
scarcely dared to recommend it. We
were surprised to find that Monona
county, on the line of the Northwest
ern, is the banner wheat county of
the state, and that there is more win
ter wheat grown in Allamakee coun-
ty, in the extreme northeastern part
of the state, than there is spring
wheat. Hence if the farmer starts in
justified in drawing the conclusion
that he did not comply with the con-
Gitions, unless the winter was too
severe for clover.
We take up the matter this early
because we are anxious to get farmers
in the northern part Of the state to
grow at least few acres; but if they
are to grow it, they must stack their
oats, or get them threshed out of the
shock early, and then follow our
directions We have shown you how
you can grow winter wheat success
fully. Now we will tell you how you
can fail, and you can take your
choice:
If you let your oats stubble stand
till just before you get ready to plow
it, then plow without disking and get
it plowed along about the last Of Sep
tenn Der or the first of October, and
then SOW some soft wheat broadcast
and harrow it on lumpy land, we
will guarantee that you won't sue
ceed. We have set before you the
two ways. Take your choice.