Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-10-21
sown. Under these conditions thin
stand and a light crop are the results.
Cultivation of Spring and Winter


Cultivation of Spring and Winter
Cereals
! There are two principal reasons Tor
culuyaung cereal crops (1), to con-
serve moisture, and (2), to destroy
! weeds. While the cultivation is
usually done with the spike-tooth har-
i row we have known the disc harrow
and the sharp corrugated roller to be
used in the spring on winter grain.
L. narrowing Grain When 1t Is
Terminating
j AS a rule winter wheat is not sown
/ until sufficient rain has come to start
u good crop OF weeds. These are
then destroyed and the grain sown.
! Even with this precaution it frequent
ly happens that the surface soil will
be teeming with young weeds by The
time the grain is terminating we'll,
These weeds are EFFECTIVELY destroyed
by double narrowing a few days before
the grain comes through the surface
OF the soil. 1t is often possible, also,
! to destroy many weeds by narrowing
spring sown grain when at the same
stage Of termination.
=. Cultivating Winter Wheat in the
Spring
The cultivation of winter wheat in
the spring is frequently advisable.
The winter rains usually puddle and
pack the surface soil to such an ex-
tent that it becomes very hard when
it dries. Narrowing breaks up the
crust and conserves a great deal of
moisture by forming surface mulch.
1t also destroys a great many
weeds and gives the grain more room.
3. Cultivating Spring Grain.
Beating rains sometimes puddle
and crust the surface soil after spring
| grain has been sown. Under such
conditions the soil moisture that
should be used by the growing crop
is lost very rapidly by evaporation.
This may be prevented largely by
narrowing the grain to break the
crust and re-establish the mulch. The
cultivation may be done from the
time the plants are well rooted until
/ the grain is iointing.
While we think the cultivation Of
grain in the spring is usually adyis-
able, there is at least one injury that
may result, especially to spring sown
grain. The cultivation invariably de-
/ lays the time of ripening. Hot winds
not infrequently do considerable
/ damage to immature grain during the
/ last of June and July. The cultiya-
/ tion may delay the time of ripening
/ just enough to cause the grain to be
shryeled.
Cultivated Crops Instead of Summer
Following
i We have previously pointed out the
difficulty of growing cultivated crops
instead of summer following IN a re-
gion whose rainfall is scant and
whose dry season comes during June,
July and August. Since a cultivated
crop grown on stubble land must
make its growth from the rainfall
of but one season, it is evident that
such crops must be given every pos
sible advantage if satisfactory results
are to be obtained. The preparation
Of the soil, therefore, should begin in
the fall Of the year AS soon as the
ground is wet enough it should be
/ plOWed deeply. 1t should be left
rough just as it comes from the pillow
in order to catch as much of the win
ter precipitation as possible In the
early spring as soon as the sell has
dried sufficiently, the disc and tooth
,. harrOws should be used to form a
mulch. In order to reduce the loss
of moisture to minimum the mulch
must be maintained until time to
plant the crop. Farm ers who use
this or similar methods of preparing
the land for corn generally raise pay
ing crops.
Corn has been condemned again
and again because it has not been
given a square deal" Too often
the corn land remains uncultivated in
any way until the last of April or In
May, /. e., until all of the other spring
work is done, when 1t is plowed and
planted. Plowed at this late date
the soil has usually lost so much
moisture that no one who under
stands the conditions would expect
a paying crop. When we learn to
give the close attention to the grow
ing of cultivated crops that we do to
wheat raising, there will be some
hope Of abandoning the summer fall
low system In much Of the wheat rails
ing belt of the Columbia river basin.