The Harlowton news. [volume] (Harlowton, Mont.) 1909-1914, 1910-08-26

IA wide diversity OF opinion eAlStS
among the farmers of the mountain
states as to the relative value of
spring and fall plowtng." declares
United States department OF agricul.
tural circular on DRY Land Grains
in the Great Basin"
"a test of two methods has been
conducted at the substatiLn in Utah.
One plat is plowed as soon as possible
after the wheat crop is removed In the
autumn and is allowed to lie un-
touched until the following spring.
The other plat is plowed in early May.
After this plat is plowed, the two plats
are treated in exactly the same way,
both lying fallow during the summer
and being planted to one variety Of
wheat the following autumn. The
test seeks to determine Q) the effects
of the fall and spring blowing on the
moisture conditions, ~ the influence
on the crops produced by the two
plats the following year, and (3) the
comparative expensiveness Of the two
methods. The test was not begun at
Nephi until the fall of 1908, and only
the moisture studies for one year,
1909, are available, in addition to the
observations made on relative expen-
siveness.
'The principal argument advanced
in favor of fall blowing is the belief
that more moisture is thereby con-
served. Widtsoe and Merrill note an
instance in which they found differ
ence amounting TO more than sos tons
of water to the acre in the first five
feet of soil in favor of land plowed in
the fall. The results Of the 1909 work
at Nephi, however, showed no advan-
of water conservation. The two plats
were sampled on April 5, June rs and
Sept. 18 to depth of six feet, and no
important differences in moisture con-
tent were found. Whether the 1909
soil moisture conditions on those two
plans were normal or exceptional can
be determined only by future studies.
1t is believed that in years having
comparatively dry winters the fal
blowing would prove benefit.
''The first crop to be grown in thi.
test was planted in the autumn Of
1909. 1t is believed that this crop will
show some difference in favor of one
or the other method, if there is diff.
ference in the desirability of either
There is possibility that, aside from
considerations of moisture, fall plowed
soil will prove more productive thar
soil plowed in the spring. When the
land is plowed in the fall and left in q
rough, lumpy condition through the
winter, the soil is probably muc!
more benefited by weathering agencies
than stubble soil can be. This may
react favorably on the crop.
THE factor of expense in fall anc
spring blowing is very important, ant
unless a considerable difference IL
yield is attributable to one method O.
the other it will be the principal de
termining factor in deciding which
method is best to follow. Flowing il
the fall is ordinarily more Difficult
than spring blowing, because the sol
is usually dry and hard after the GRO
is removed There are advantages i
doing the work in the autumn, how
ever, because at that time the farme
is not as a rule so rushed with wor
as in the spring, and because tn
prices of horse feed is lower in til
fall. All things considered, it is pro|
ing is about the same for both nett
DDS. Fall plowed land is more like
to be infested with weeds during Il
fallow period than spring plowel Ian
At the substation in 1909 the ia
plowed plat required more than twi
as much wedding as the plat plowed
the spring. In fact, the latter W
almost entirely free from weeds al
volunteer wheat from the time it W
plowed, May Is, until planting tim
The point, considered by itself, is
cidedly in favor of spring plowin
The factor OF weakness is succe!
fully met by Grace Brothers, at Nep
Utah. They pillow their land in t
fall in the ordinary way, allow it
lie unculuivated until early June, VIII
the weeds and volunteer wheat a
we'll started, and then give it We
shallow blowing. They usually ha
little difficulty with weeds after t
second blowing, and their grain vie
are exceptionally good. The exper
is no greater than it would be to err;
icate the weeds by disking and h
rowing. Whether this method will
successful on other farms is n
known hut its Success ON the G Is