The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-14

ature for the eleven stations Is 81 the minimum was
b6 and the mean 666. The mean temperature for the
period was slightly above the normal The average
water fall for the period was 200 inches, which IL
slightly below the normal. The water fall however
was greater than the preceding month and In many
sections has furnished sufficient moisture TO bring UP
wheat and to put the ground In condition for powng
This Is noticeably true in the neghborhood OF Tulsa
Shawnee, MARROW and Chandler. The water fall al
Mangum AMI WeatherforG was very sis-t during the
month not enough perhaps to bring grain out Of the
ground or TO put the ground in condition for powng
FALL FLOWING.
Oklahoma farmers, as class, are mighty fine fel
lows They all intend to be good citizens They would
condemn and help to bring to justice the man who
would rob his neighbor. They would class ms a
scoundrel and cur the man, who IN order to prevent
his heirs from nherting his property, would deliber
aely set fire to and burn up all his belongings except
his land. They would have nothing but indignant con
demnation for the wealthy who would turn his
children out to shift for themselves, aid offer as
the statement that he had start with nothing
and they would have to. too" They would run out OF
the country, the man who would maintain pen OF
e1eranfected hogs for the purpose Of spreading the
disease to his neghbors stock
And yet there are hundreds OF farmers within the
state who are thoughtlessly doing all OF these things
but who would hotly resent any intimation that they
are not good citizens.
Isn't the man who willfully impoverlshes the soil
of his farm robbing the next goneraton Isn't the
who. without good reason burns up his straw stack
burning his property and so preventing his children
from inheriting it? He burning up the most expen
siye plant food in the soil, and his children win have
to start at the beginning and build up the farm that
he has impoverished Isn't the who maintains a
chinch bug hatchery in his field dangerous the
man who keeps infected hogs or cattle? not going
to pro]clg the comparison. | have not the space to
deal with the whole OF subject broad this but
l want to touch on one chase Of it-fall plowing
Are you doing any fall plowng? II not then why
not? There are several essentials to good seed bed
Chief among these are, deeply powed well pulverzed
but firm soil, adequate supply of plant food and a
sufficient amount of moisture to make this plant food
available Now let's look this subject together and
see II hard common sense won lead you to do some
fall blowing
The first essential Is deeply poved, we'll pulver.
lied. but film soil. Careful experiments have shown
that roots penetrate the soil to depth Of at least
four feet. They have been known to penetrate to q
depth OF 12 inches within eighteen days after planting.
Every one of these roots will be busy gathering
moisture and food II given chance. Then plow deep
and pulverze well but see to It that your ground is
frmed after pulyerzng for air spaces let In the sun
and wind up your moisture opd njure the tender
roots OF the plant Then plant root hanging in an air
space Is gathering neither food nor moisture. Now
you can pow just as deeply In the spring as In the
fall but how abount firming7
Yon must have an adequate Supply OF available
plant food Nearly all soils contain sufficient amount
of plant food but must be put in condition to be used
Dy .ne piant AND II the iand has been farmed for
some time some OF the most valuable elements have
been used. You must return these elements by plow-
ing hnmus into the SOIL and you must give the air,
frost etc. time enough to convert some OF the elements
OF the soil into form that be used by the plants.
Humus is partly decayed vegetable matter. Plow-
Ing II into the soil returns part OF the plant food used
by former crops Humns also helps to retain moisture
as one pound of humus will store seven and one half
times as much moisture as pound sand and the
sand will lose It's moisture three times quickly
will the humus. Now you can pow dry vegetable mat
ter under In the spring we'll as In the fal but can
you convert It into humus for the use OF the plants?
Won't II rather TO form air spaces and TO
dssipate your moisture? Also will the chemical action
OF the frost, the humus, ETC., work as effectively II
you plow In the spring?
Your plants must have deep and we'll prepared
moisture bed Your plant roots have no teeth, con-
sequenty they not pulyerlze cods. even masti-
the food that they take from the soil. They must
drink It. -Four or five inches of soil will contain
sufficient plant food for the making of crop but Will
not contain sufficient moisture TO dissolve this plant
food and render II available for the OF the plants SO
you must have a deep moisture bed One cuubic foot
OF clods will contain but one fourth much moisture
as an equal bulk OF fine soil so you must have the
seed bed well pulyerized II you prelare your soil
In the fall the rains the snow and the frost will have
time to do their best work and when you are ready
to plant In the spring you will have deep, firm, rich
seed bed, well supplied with moisture.
Now | want to touch just one more phase OF
this subject and want the "chnch bug farmers OF
the northern part Of the state to take notice. II you
furnish lodging for the insect pests during the winter
you will have to board them In the spring II you keep
nice bed OF grass, weeds etc. In your field 70
Mr.. Chinch Bug this winter he will be your star
pay cent The first step in fighting chlnch bugs Ia
to thoroughly pow and clean up your field In the fall
For further steps in chinch bug fighting get bulletin
on the subject from the Oklahoma Experiment Station
al saltwater.
There are several exceptions to the rule OF deep
fall piowing. Light sandy soils should not receive
this treatment. will take up blowing soils In another
article Deep blowing. or subsoilIng should not be
practiced the spring Any cultivation done after the
deep fall breaking should not go deeper than or
inches.
MARIE WO0DSON,
Asst. Supt. Of Demonstration Farm