The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-06-10
The Ward County Demonstration
Farm
(Supt. w. p. Porter)

| (Supt. w. ID. POrtef) a... aa.
The North Dakota experiment sta
ton now conducts twenty demonstra-
ton farms located in as many coun-
! ties in the state. The farm in Ward
county was located two miles east
of Flaxton. The land is sandy
clay sub-soil which is quite charac-
tsristic of most of the upland of the
county.
This farm consists of four plots of
five acres each on which a four year
rotation is practiced consisting of
two fields of wheat, a field of oats
and a field of corn for cultivated
crop. OF the twenty farms, but two
have four year rotation, and the
other besides Flaxton is located at
Sanborn in Barnes county. The ro-
tation on this farm is. half wheat,
fourth corn and one-fourth oats and
peas which is cut green for hay. The
land which is put into oats and peas
receives heavy coat of manure dur
ing the winter which is plowed under
in the spring. In tn:s way no field
has the same crop upon it two years
in succession. The oats and peas
follow on the wheat plot which fol-
lowed the corn two years previous,
and the corn is put i'll on wheat land
which has followed oats and peas.
One field of wheat is on corn ground
and one field is on oats and pea land.
This rotation is not as large neither
does it contain as many grains as
the majority of farmers of Ward
county grow but it probably contains
about the right proportion of small
grains to the forage and cultivated
crops in order to raise maximum
crop and at the same time conserve
the fertility of the soil.
Plot No. 1 was in oats and peas
in 1907 and in Macaroni wheat in
1908 which yielded IL 1-2 bushels
per acre. 1t was fall plowed about
five inches deep and narrowed we'll
afterward in order to form dust
blanket to prevent the water evapor-
ating from the soil. This spring it
has been narrowed at intervals
about ten days apart. II will be
seeded to Mercer Flint cora in rows
3 IL feet apart each way with five
to six grains of corn per Lii. This
land will be dragged at intervals of a
week until the corn is six toeight
inches high, then it will be cultivated
every week until early in August.
Just before the last cultivation
Turkey red winter wheat will be
seeded broadcast in this field and
will then be- cultivated in. Should it
prove a poor stand a winter kill
Macaroni wheat will be used in the
rotation as originally planned
Plot No. 2 was in corn in 1907 and
in Macaroni wheat in 1908 which
yielded IS bushels per acre or nearly
SO per cent better than Plot No. 1
which; had been in oats and peas in
1907 instead of corn. The probable
reason for the heavier yield following
corn is because the cultivation kept
a dust mich which prevented the
soil water from evaporating, and it
was stored up for the use of the fol-
lowing wheat crop. This field re-
ceived good coat Of manure during
the winter. It was spring .plowed,
sub-surfaced, packed and harrow
ed then seeded with 1 IL bushels
oats and l Ia bushels peas early in
May. Had the season opened up as
early as it usually does this field
would have been seeded about the
middle Of April This field is drag
ged with light harrow a week after
seeding in order to destroy any weeds
thatthe terminating and in order to
conserve soil moisture. This crop
will be cut for hay about the first of
August. The land will be plowed i'm
mediately afterward about six in
ches deep, sub-surfaced, packed, har-
rowed and seeded to Turkey red
winter wheat.
Plot No. 3 was in Macaroni wheat
in 1907 and corn in 1908. Last fall
it was double disked and narrowed
we'll. This spring it was narrowed
we'll and seeded to Macaroni wheat
about the first of May. 1t was har-
rowed a week afterward and will be
narrowed again after it is a couple
of inches high. This field will re-