Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-05-07
lWlSHBURN DEMONSTRATION
Farmers Will be Given Practical Les
son in Agricukure-Good Results
Expected From System-A Dozen
More Farms Will be Instituted in
Different Parts Of State.

Different Parts OF state.
Senate Bill No. 43, which was ap-
proved March 4 by Governor Burke,
provides that from six to twelve more
demonstration farms be established
in the state, such farms to be located
one only in county not previously
provided with a demonstration farm
or a sub-experiment station. The OBJ
iect of these new farms will be to
show that a good rotation, good pedi-
gree seed, through cultivation, and
the frequent application of manure
will do in producing heavy crops and
conserving soil moisture in their re-
spective neighborhood. On these
farms is put in practice the best agrl-
cultural methods worked out by ex-
periments that have been conducted.
by the main experiment station and
the sub-stations.
Each of these farms consist OF five
or six plots or fields of four acres
each, worked by practical farmer,
who uses his regular farm tools I'M
der the direction of superintendent
from the experiment station. Most Of
the demonstration farms consist of
five fields; three of which are mar
ketable grain crops each season, such
as corn and one field in hay, either
clover Or mixture of oats and peas.
The marketable crops are put in the
ground in the best possible condition
and the land is given good thorough
cultivation and this alone should raise
the grain yield at least twenty-five
per cent The corn is used as Gull
tivated crop in order to clean the land
of weeds, conserve fertility and pre-
vent loss of soil moisture. 1t will be
used for stock food on the farm and
the barnyard fertilizer resulting there
from will be spread on the land in or
der that fertility may be maintained
and the soil be filed with decaying
vegetable matter known as humus.
The hay crop will consist of clover,
where that crop can be grown sue:
cessfully, because there is no other
leguminous plant that will work in
a rotation so well as medium red
clover. It makes very good hay; 1t
has proved very lucrative crop when
grown for seed, but its great value
comes from its ability to make nitro
gen from the air and stir it in the
soil, thus making the soil on which
It grows good deal richer than it was
before the clover was planted. On
any farm where clover fails, because
of drought, lack of proper bacteria in
the soil. or from winter killing, oats
and peas will be grown for hay in
stead Of clover; because the peas
have the chief ability, to quite an ex-
tent, to take nitrogen from the air
and store it in the soil. This mix
ture makes the best of hay and yields
we'll Last season on the original DEM |
onstration farm, it yielded an average
Of 3,1O0 pounds of the best grade hay
per acre. r..
The people of Mclean county have]
secured one Of these farms southeast
of Washburn. 1t consists of six fields !
OF four acres each on which the fol- |
lowing rotation will be grown: corn
wheat, oats and pea hay, wheat, corn, |
and fax. One third of the farm is
In wheat following corn and oats and |
peas respectively. One sixth of the |
farm is in hay following wheat and |
max. The farm has six year rotation |
one half of which consists of mark
etable crops, and the other half con-
sists of hay and fodder crops, which |
should be fed to cattle or other live
stock. One third of this farm is
MANFRED every year on the land that
Is to go into corn. The farmers in the
vicinity Of the farm will be able to
see exactly what such a rotation, good
seed and good cultivation will do In
producing big crops and increased in
stead of depleted soil fertility In
their neighborhood.