The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-12-30
CRITICAL PERIODS"
Certain Times When Nothing I'm
pedes Growth of a Crop.
Should Be Determined, II Possible, at
What Stage of Growth Plants Are
Most Likely to Be In Need
Of Water.

Prof. +. ID. Farrell of the office OF
grain investigations, United States de-
partment of agriculture, superintend-
ent of experimental station at Nephi.
Utah. at the recent Dry Farm Con.
gress held at Billings. Mont. discussed
the Importance of certain critical peri
ods in dry md crop production. He
said in part
The most casual observation of
the behavior of given crop during
the period of its growth, from the
termination Of the seed to maturity.
VIII disclose the fact that, at certain
times, the plants all seem to do about
equally well; nothing seems to i'm
pede their steady, uniform, rapid
growth. On the farm, during these
times, the variations in the character
OF the soil, or in its condition of tilth
appear to have no effect on the crop;
all over the field, the crop grows
rapidly and uniformly. And in an ex.
perimental field, no differences at.
tributable to different methods of til.
iage, to variety characteristics, to
various rates or times of planting.
etc. can be observed In short, there
are times in the life of crop when
everything seems to favor its growth
and when all the crop requires is to
be left unmolested. Such periods as
these are comparatively negligible,
from the standpoint of both the farm
er and the agricultural investigator.
"But these times of absolute pros
perity for a field of plants are usually
short and infrequent, especially on
the dry lands. Before the crop has
matured, It is practically certain to
experience several periods in which
the plants are subjected to conditions
OF the most trying severity. These
conditions may be due to disease, soil
crusting, frost, soil-blowing, etc, but
most frequently in the really ari'
sections the difficulty arises from
drouth. 1t is when one or more OF
these unfavorable conditions exist
that the excellence or the inferiority
of the methods applied by the farmer
appears. Also, during these times
the process of natural selection--the
survival of the fittest and the elimi-
nation of the weak-is most active.
THIS statement applies with equal
truth to the farmers themselves and
to the plants in their fields. For the
purposes of this discussion, we shall
designate these durations Critical
Periods and with a view to calling
cnnnio1 AT 60 40;
in dry-land crop production, this
paper has been prepared"
Prof. Farrell cited examples to
eluciGste his definition of a critical
period and continued;
"As to the selection of a location
and the choice of crops, the total an
nual amount of distribution through |
ont the year, and especially among
the growing months, should invari
ably be taken into account. More |
over, as indicated by our experience |
with alfalfa, it should be determined, |
If possible, at what stage of growth |
the plants of crop are most likely |
to need an abundance of water This |
being known, it should be determined |
whether in the section under consid- |
GRAFTON, the necessary moisture could |
be made available at the proper time
In other words, it is unwise to say |
that wheat, for example, can be sue
cessfully grown in given country be-
cause that country receives an aver. !,
age annual rainfall of 12 inches or
even 20 inches. 1t must be known
whether the country is frequently |
subjected to what would be critical |
periods for the crops to be grown |
there. The length and intensity of !
these periods also should be consid- |
cred"