The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-10-13
SUMMER FAlLoWINe VALUE
conserves Moisture for Next Crop and
Readily S plies Sofia With
Needed Humus.

1t Is very important how the work
of summer fallowing shall be done.
The necessity for the fallow may de-
pend on several contingencies. 1t may
arise from the foul condition of the
land, from the necessity that exists
for conserving moisture for the next
crop. or for readily supplying soils
with humus where this has been too
much depleted. This means that the
method to be followed will vary some
what with the object for which the
land is fallowed.
Some take the stand that 1t is un-
wise to summer-fallow. Under some
conditions it is unwise. Tell that to
the grower of winter wheat westward
from the Missouri river in the Da.
kotas and he knows that to follow
such instruction would In great
measure prevent him from growing
winter wheat. Tell that to the grower
of winter wheat In the Big Bend coun-
try and around Walla Walla in Wash
ington and he will answer that he can.
not farm successfully in any other
way. 1t is true. nevertheless, that the
absolutely bare fallow should be avoid.
ed where the necessity does not GER
tainly exist for it, for the reason, first,
that no crop is secured from the land
for that season; and second, that it is
wasteful of the elements of plant food.
especially in a season of much rainfall.
When the summer-fallow is resorted
tn aft,1x f>,- he .~f
ing weeds, in very many instances
this may be done about as well by
growing crop that will be cultivated,
as for instance, corn. When fallow.
ing the land mainly for such a pur-
pose, the first plowing ought to be
done before any of the weeds mature.
While the subsequent cultivation will
depend much on the kind or kinds of
tue weeds to be Tough, it will usually
be better not to plow again, but to
work on the surface subsequently with
the harrow OF with some form Of cul-
dvator supplemented by the harrow.
The plan of plowing the land but once
and then allowing 1t to lie untouched
till many weeds grow up again and
produce seed is simply vicious. 1t
means reseeding of the weeds which
the farmer has set out avowedly to de.
stroy.
When the object is mainly to con-
crop that follows, it is very impor-
tant that the land shall be plowed at
a season when moisture is most abun-
dant, because of the ease with which
such plowing may be done. II the
land thus plowed is left lying as
turned by the plow, it will soon lose
its moisture down to the bottom OF
the furrow slice. 1t will also allow
the escape of moisture in the subsoil
below, in proportion to the time that
it Is thus allowed to lie undisturbed
There are several ways of doing this
as by using heavy roller or disk
or plank smoother, ending in each
instance with a stroke of the harrow
1t is greatly important that this shall
be done at once as soon as the land
Is plowed. The frequency of the har
rowings that should follow must be
determined by the judgment of the
farmer. These should be frequent
enough to keep that dust mulch or
the land In this way the double pur
pose is served of conserving the mois
ture and of keeping the land perfectly
clean.
When humus is to be put into the
soil quickly, usually the plan thai
sows winter rye in the autumn is {
good one. This may be buried before
coming into head. Subsequently sur
face cultivation may follow or a sec
ond crop may be grown on the lant
for burial, as buckwheat, rape, mile
or spring rye. II only one crop II
buried, and If it has been sown the
previous autumn, winter wheat may
appropriately be put on such land, bu
If two green crops are buried in on,
season, sowing must be deferred un
der northwestern conditions until tn,
following spring.
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