The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1909-06-10

ceive the treatment next year that
Plot No. 2 received this year and 1t
will be put in oats and peas.
Plot No. was in MacaroRi wheat
in 1907 and oats and peas in 1908.
This spring it was dragged we'll and
seeded to MaearoRi wheat. A week
after seeding it was narrowed again.
On both these wheat plots pound of
clover seed is seeded with each BUSH
ell of wheat in order to gradually in
oculate the soil with clover bacteria
and fertilize the land to some ex-
tent by means Of the clover growing
up in the stubble in the fall.
This farm was not designated as an
experiment farm, but it was plan
ned to demonstrate what food Guilt
walton, pedigree seed, the application
of barnyard manure and simple
but practical rotation would do in
producing big crops in Ward county,
and at the same time increase the
soil fertility. Nevertheless it was
thought wise to experiment with
winter wheat, clover and alfalfa.
This season winter wheat will be
sown early in August on three kinds
of land, viz: corn land, summer fall
lowed land, and on land which has
produced good crop of oats and pea
hay. This experiment with winter
wheat will be conducted on eight o.
ten of the demonstration farms in
different parts of the state, and will
soon show how and where winter
wheat can be grown in North Dakota.
On this Ward county farm trial
is being made to see if medium clover
can be grown successfully without a
nurse crop. This experiment is being
made on ten of the other demonstra
zion farms, Glover has been seeded
with a nurse crop at Beach, New Sal
EN-, Bismarck, Ross, Lakota, Page,
Bathgate, Granville and Sanborn for
the past two or three seasons. 1t
has not done well on farms west of
the Red River valley when sown with
a nurse crop as there does not seem
to be enough moisture in the ground
to produce crop of grain and carry
a crop Of clover through the summer
and autumn. When the land is thor
terra, this probably will not be the
case, but until the land is thoroughly.
inocculated the farmer who wants to
grow his very valuable soil enrichine
crop had better seed it without
nurse crop. Experiments conducted
on the different demonstration farms
will soon show whether this method
of growing clover is satisfactory or
not for the central and western part
of the state.
On several of the farms including
Flaxton, several of the most promis-
ing varieties of alfalfa such as Mon
.tana, Turkestan, and Emmer was
seeded last year. At Flaxton these
varieties came through the past
winter in the very best condition and
were making a fine growth early in
May. The alfalfa also passed through
the winter in very fine shape at
Granville and Ross. No farmer in
Ward county should let the present
season pass without planting a
small plot of alfalfa on his farm to
see if it will grow we'll under his
conditions and to see whether his
soil needs inocculation or not in or
der to grow alfalfa successfully.
Alfalfa should be planted in the lat
ter part of May or early in June on
we'll prepared land preferably ground
which has been previously MANFRED
and which grew a cultivated crop
such as corn or potatoes last year.
Alfalfa should be sown without a
nurse crop at the rate of Is to 20
pounds per acre. If weeds bother,
a mower should be run over the field
with the sickle bar set high before
the first of August. Alfalfa should
not be pastured off in the fall, but
whatever growth there is the first
season should be let stand through
the first winter otherwise there will
be great danger of winter killing. In
succeeding years alfalfa. in Ward
county should not b. out or pastured
after the first of August. In this
way the fall growth is utilized for
winter protection, and if this practice
is followed alfalfa will seldom, If
ever, winter kill in North Dakota If
the alfalfa plants are small with a
sickly yellowish color and no nodules