The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-02-18
DRY AREA FARMING
Certain Broad Essentials Which
Farmer Must Observe.
More Careful That Cultivation Has
Been, More Completely Will Mois-
ture Be Preserved That Has
Failen-Growing Alfalfa.

lure be preserved mat r7dS
Fal!en-Growing Alfalfa.
When growing winter crops in dry
areas, a certain course of tillage must
be followed to bring success with it,
writes Prof Thomas Shaw in Dakota
Farmer. The winter crops which in
northern areas consist of wheat and
rye must be sown early. The object
sought in sowing them early is to give
them time to form good strong top
and root that they may go through the
winter safely. Wheat in northern
areas should be sown in August. Rye
may do little later, but it may also
be sown earlier If it is pastured. In
order to insure termination at that
season when the weather is usually
very dry the ground especially for
wheat should be summer-fallOWed.
When summer fallowed every care
should be taken to keep all the mois-
ture in the land that was there at
the time when the land was plowed
and all that has followed subsequent
ly, which means that it must be
pressed down as soon as plowed, and
frequently narrowed especially after
rain. It may also be a good plan to drill
wheat in among the standing corn, the
corn being cut subsequently, but the
value of growing it thus has not ap-
parently been proved under dry farm
ing conditions.
The wheat and also the rye, espe-
cially the latter, may in some instances
be drilled in stubble, as for instance
hulless barley stubble, and still pro-
duce good crop. But this can only
be done safely when there is enough
moisture to terminate the seed. The
amount to SOW will vary with the soil,
but usually from three to four pecks
Of wheat per acre will be enough.
Considerably more rye is wanted, as it
does not stool SO readily as wheat.
Both wheat and rye should be har-
rowed early in the spring and possibly
once again after it has made consid-
cradle growth. The object is of course
to retain moisture
Spring crops, as wheat, barley, oats
and speltZ are sown on summer-fal-
lowed land, or on land that was cul-
tivated. while it grew the last crop
taken from it. This means that it will
follow corn, potatoes, roots, field peas,
beans and in some instances sorghum
or kaffir corn. The success of grain
following these will be measurably de-
pendent on the carefulness of the Gull
tivation given to. the preceding crop.
The more careful that the cultivation
has been the more completely will
the moisture be preserved that has
fallen. AS rule, the ground should
not be plowed after the cultivated
crop. but simply prepared by disking
and narrowing. To plow after these
crops would tend to liberate mois-
ture. These cultivated crops may be
grown on land that was cropped the
previous year. The cultivation given
to them while growing aids in keep
ing In the soil the moisture necessary
to produce them.
Whether peas have an important mis-
sion in such areas has not yet been
worked out. 1t is pretty certain that
they will grow we'll on the soils of the
semi-arid country, but it has not appar-
emily been proved as to whether the
yields when grown in rows will be
such as to justify growing the field
crop thus. There should be no doubt,
however, as to the profitable results
that would accrue from growing gar
den varieties for seed or for canning.
The peas would put nitrogen in the
soil. They could be planted with the
grain drill, using only such tubes as
We're necessary. The distance between
the rows would be "a to 80 inches ac-
cording to the variety.
While alfalfa may be started on new
breaking of the first year, 1t is better
to put 1t on older land. The land
should be fallowed for it the previous
year, and it will add to the strength
and sureness of the stand if it can
be MANFRED. Alfalfa comes in nicely
after the potato crop is well cared for.
Corn would do as well, but for the
stubs remaining in the land. A nice
smooth seeded should be made in
the spring. and the alfalfa drilled in
alone at the rate of about 10 pounds
per acre. 1t should be clipped off once
and the next year it should furnish
a crop. 1t is improved by disking and
narrowing each spring, setting the
disk SO as not to destroy many of the
plants.
Potato and corn crops should be
put reasonably well down. 1t is spe-
cially important that the harrow shall
be used on them freely and judicious-
ly. These crops should be very ex-
tensively grown in the dry country
because of their intrinsic value and
because Of the influence which the
cultivation would exert on the crops
that follow them. The greater the
area Of these. the less the necessity
that exists for large areas Of fallow
land.
When breaking up the prairie In a
dry country. It is well to splow 1t deep.
" at the first. This may not add to
the yield Of the first. crops grown. on
the other hand 1t may somewhat de.
tract from them, but the influence ON
future yields will be helpful. Be.
cause Of this the aim should be to
break those lands as far as practic.
able by the aid Of steam or gasoline.
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