Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1909-02-26
=: Hints to hOmeSteaders

In answer to question regarding
the proper amout of seed wheat to
SOW, Prof. Thomas Shaw says:
When l gave pecks of fife wheat
as the proper amount to SOW, was
speaking Of summer-fallOwei land in
the dry area Of Montana. The care.
full summer-fallowing Of the previous
year had bottled up the moisture. All
the wheat sown would grow. On
carelessly prepared land it might be
necessary to SOW pecks. The reason
why, say ; pecks of seed are better
than larger amount in dry areas on
we'll prepared land is this. When
there are too many plants on the
ground for the moisture, they do not
stool as thinner grain does. They do
not produce heads SO large nor do the
heads fill out so well or produce such
plump grain. would expect that in
Williams county in the average year,
thin seeding on well prepared land
would give the better results.
We have heard Mr.. Campbell, the
great dry farmer, say that by taking
sharp harrow or light drag over the
surface Of dry Nebraska stubble
field just as spring opened, he had
been able to hold enough extra mois-
ture for the corn crop following to
make the difference between a failure
and a success, says the Dakota Farmer.
There are many ways in which we can
not only increase our available mois-
ture, but in which we can turn to bet
ter account what we have. When we
Dakota people, particularly those in
the drier parts of the country, wholly
abandon the ways of handling soils
and crops which we learned in the
east. and turn our attention to dry
farming ways and dry farming crops,
the uncertainty of returns which now
haunt so many of us will be very
greatly reduced. In other words,
when we learn that moisture means
money for us just as certainly as it
does to the irrigated regions of the far
west, we shall be less careless Of the
one, and very much more of the other.
Cheap hen food is even better, to a
certain degree, than the costlier kinds.
1t is simply surprising how much
green food poultry willget away with
in the winter time. Cabbage, clover,
alfalfa and some beets and turnips
are greatly relished by laying hens,
and nearly all hens will be laying ones
when in addition to ample grain ration
these things are I'D led to their daily
feed. Glover leaves and other fiji e
leavings from the hay on the barn
floors or elsewhere is the very best
though cheapest kind of poultry feed
for part of the ration.
At least a thir of the winter feed
Of poultry should be green food of
some kind. 1t greatly cheapens cost
on keeping and they do better for it.
Why Newspaper Men are Cranks.
1t is the custom of Il newspaper man
10 DOOm the city Tor all II IS worth
month after month and then see $50
worth OF printing go out Of the city
because ten cents can be saved by so
doing. 1t is the business of a news
paper man to give every local enter
prise enthusiastic and frequent send
offs, and then catch sheol because he
failed to record the fact that some
prominent citizen has his delivery
wagon painted: to subscribe literally
to every public, charitable and church
enterprise, advertise item for moth
ing, pay his own way to everything,
and then be called prejudicpd and
mean spirited because Il column is not
devoted to that particular affair. DO
/ you wonder that there are so many
cranks III the newspaper business?
1t is bound to make either Il crank or
Il philosopher out of Il man.