The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-10-27
SUMMER FALL0WING VALUE
Conserves Moisture for Next Crop and
Readily Supplies Soils With
NeSded Humus.

II is very important how the work
of summer following shall be done.
The necessity for the fallow may de-
pend on several contingencies. II 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 soifs
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 fallowe1.
Some take the stand that 1t is un-
wise to summer.fallow. Under some
conditions il 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 woul1 in a 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 Walia In Wash
ington and he will answer that he can.
not farm successfully In any other
way. IL is true, nevertheless. that the
absolutely bare fallow should be avoid.
ed where the necessity does not Ger.
tainly exist for IL. Tor the reason. first.
that no crop is secured from the land
for that season; and second, that IL is
wastetul oil the elements OF plant food.
especially in season OF much rainfall.
When the summer-fallow is resorted
to mainly for the purpose OF destroy.
ing weeds, in very many instances
this may be done about as well by
growing a crop that will be cultivated,
as for instance. corn. When fallow.
ing the land NANNY for such q pur.
pose, the tirst plowing ought to be
done before any OF the weeds mature.
While the subsequent cultivation will
depend much ON the kind or kinds of
the weeds to be Tough, il will usually
be better not to plow again, but TO
work on the surface subsequently with
the harrow or with some form of cul.
tivator supplemented by the harrow
The plan OF plowing the land but once
and then allowing it to lie untouched
till many weeds grow up again and
produce seed is simply vicious. 1t
means a reseeding OF the weeds which
the farmer has set out avowedly to de-
stroy.
When the object is mainly to con.
serve moisture 10 aid in growing the
crop tnat follows, 1t is very impor
tant that the land shall be plowed al
season when moisture is most abun-
dant, because OF the ease with which
such plowing may be done II the
land thus plowed is lett 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
II is thus allowed to lie undisturbed.
There are several ways OF doing this,
as by using n heavy roller or a disk.
or a plank smoother, ending in each
instance with stroke OF the harrow.
IL 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
enough to keep that dust mulch on
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 that
sows winter rye in the autumn is a
good one. This may be buried before
coming into head. Subsequently sur
face cultivation may follow or Gee
ond crop may be grown on the land
for burial, as buckwheat, rape. millet
or spring rye. If only one crop is
buried. and II 1t has been sown the
previous autumn. winter wheat may
appropriately be put on such land. bu.
il two green crops are buried In one
season, sowing must be deferred un.
der northwestern conditions until the
following spring.