Judith Gap journal., 1910-12-02


two inches high, the harrow may
bury many plants. The second har-
rowing may usually be given when
the plants are about five inches high.
the third when they are seven. and
the fourth when they are nine or ten.
This narrowing is greatly important,
as it not only tends to conserve mois-
tnrp in the soil, but it also exercises
a very important influence on the
cleaning of the land.
1t will be apparent. of course, that
when land is summer fallowed but one
crop can be grown in two years. 1t is
quite possible. however, for the far
mer so to rotate that the grain that
follows summer fallow will in turn
be followed by corn and this in turn
will be followed by grain, thus max
ing it almost absolutely certain that
the bench-land farmer can get three
good crops in four years. This re-
suit cannot be improved upon, as IA
rule. in countries that are well sup
piled with rain.
Much has yet to be learned about
the best methods Of growing corn. OF
course, when it is grown for the ears
mainly, small variety will answer
the purpose. such as S4uaw corn or
the .)ehu variety, but these corns are
too small in their grOwtl. to answer
the purposes required of fodder corn:
they may, however, be extensively
grown on the bench lands to provide
fattening food for sheep or for swine,
which would harvest the crop in the
field where it had grown; one object,
of course, being to secure large
acreage of land that could be depend
Ell on to grow good crop of grain
the following year. 1t would seem
probable. in the present state of our
knowledge. that the Northwestern
Dent" and the Minnesota l3" will
best answer the purposes required of
fodder. \ fodder corn must furnish
bulk: it should grow about as tall as
man, and when thus grown it may
be easily harvested with the corn bin
der. This would he necessary when
1t is grown on Il large scale. When
corn is grown for the grain it should
be grown in hills about 3 l-2 feet
apart each way with five to six stalks
in hill, and the amount Of seed cali
ed for would be probably six to sew
en- quarts per acre. When grown for
fodder it may be grown in rows or
drills - feet distant. and the
amount of seed called for would be
from two to three pecks per acre.
The amounts that will answer the
purpose best have not yet been ascer-
tained.
The bench-land farmer cannot too
soon begin to give attention to the
growing OF alfalfa. 1t WAS his con-
viction that few acres of sod should
be broken by the homesteader i'm the
early spring and sown to alfalfa. \
good seed-bed should be made on the
surface and care should be taken
to put in the seed with the grain
drill. burying it about two inches in
the soil.
Broadcast seeding is very hazard
OuS in a dry season. That is not the
best way of securing Il stand of altal-
fa. but it would start the homestead
er in the matter of providing hay.
lie would not get it the first year,
but he would the second. He should
then SOW some land in alfalfa the
second spring. This land should be
carefully summer fallowed the pre-
viOus year. Not more than eight
pounds of seed should be sOwn to the
acre and it is generally wise not to
SOW it before late in May. When the
plants are about four inches high a
light harrow should be run over the
crop: but few plants will be destroy
ed by the process and great good will
result. 1t may be narrowed later
with advantage, and usually it is con-
sidered better to clip it back. but not
too closely, at least once in the sum-
mer. This crop should furnish the
bench-land farmer from one to two
tons OH the average, and it should
prove a crop that he could depend up
on from year to year. This, along
with the fodder corn, would settle the
question as to where forage could be
obtained.
AS the flax crop is likely to be the