Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1910-12-02

amount OF moisture in it, which
would he from the opening Of spring
until toward the end Of June. 1t was
thousand times fortunate for Mon
tana that the larger portion of the
precipitation fell within the time
specified. The ground should not be
broken less than six inches and seven
or eight inches would be better: the
sod should be turned over and buried,
and, the day the blowing IS done, II
roller, planker or disc with the
disks set somewhat straighD should
be run over the land to press the soil
particles together, which would have
the effect Of preventing the hot winds
and sun from rapidly taking moisture
ont Of the soil: the harrow should
then follow to make dust mulch
and, as often as heavy rains fall, the
narrowing should be repeated in or
der to maintain the dust mulch in
proper form.
Land thus handled will in almost
every instance germinate winter
wheat when it is planted, which should
be toward the end Of August under
Montana conditions. Ii spring crop
is wanted, one or two more harrow
ings should be given to the summer
fallOwed land so that the moisture in
the soil would be retained until the
following spring.
When growing the cultivated crop,
which may consist OF potatoes, field
roots or corn, chiefly the latter, the
ground may be plOwed out of stubble
the preceding autumn. Careful work
should begin on it at the earliest pos
sible moment III the spring by disking
or narrowing, or both, and by thus
earring for it until the corn is planted.
which would probably be about the
tenth Of May in an average seas ION.
One or two harrowings should pre-
cede the appearance of the corn, and
similar number should follow after
it is up; then cultivation should be-
gin and be continued until the crop
has got beyond the tasseling- -out
stage. Such crop should furnisl,
not less than two tons Of cured corn
fodder per acre. and this would much
more than pay tor the labor of tilling
the land and, in addition, would pro-
vide the requisite fodder. in part ut
least, for the farm.
The ground that has grown culti-
waited crop should not be plowed when
preparing it for the grain crop that is
to follow; it should simply be disked
and narrowed. II was his assured
conviction that il the grain crops
were grown on land thus prepared by
either method that the element OF ull-
certainty would be virtually elimi-
mated in the growing of crops Oh the
bench lands, no matter what the
character of the weather might br.
This statement may not apply to sum
mer fallOwed lands broken up SO late
in the season that much Of the mois-
ture has gone from them, nor will it
apply in certain instances to tle por
us soil that is frequently found in
valleys and in river basins.
To make sure that such Il result
will follow from crops thus sown the
farmer must be careful as to how
much seed he will SOW. lie should
not SOW more than four pecks per
acre of any kind Of wheat, and i'll
many instances three pecks will an
swer the purpose better: four pecks
Of oats will usually he enough, and
from three to four packs Of barley:
live pecks of Canadian field peas may
he required. and the same amount of
winter rye. Ii too much seed is
sown, too many plants result. more
in fact than the moisture present can
properly mature, consequently the
plants will be dwarfed in their
growth, the heads will br small and
the grain will not be properly illed,
which means Of course that the yields
will be light. The farmer must also
give careful attention To the harrow.
ing of his crops atter they have begun
to grow.
The amount OF narrowing called
for will vary much with the cOndi-
tions of soil and seasons. but in II
very dry spasO the crOp
Will profit from narrowing it
not fewer than four times. The first
narrowing should be given Just when
TIE points of grain begin to show: ii
this is deferred till the crop is. say.