The river press., 1910-08-31
SHAW ADVISES FARMERS.
Agricultural Expert Favors Fall Plow-
ing Of Bench Lands.

INK OF 0OOCO 10UOSs
Inform alton that should prove OF
interest and value to settlers on nor.
thern Montana bench lands IL given
by Professor Thomas Shaw in q bul.
letin upon the advantages OF fall
blowing. The professor advises that
breaking the land in the fall gives the
best results, his recommend ations be.
ing in part to this effect:
Land may be plowed in the dry con-
dition in which It is at the present
time, providing there is power enough
present to do the work properly. By
proper work, I mean turning over the
cod to the depth of not less than six
inches, and turning all the ground
over to an even depth. This cannot
be done at the present time without
steam or gasoline power and it it is
done by such power. the fact should
be we'll considered, that the cost in
coal or gasoline and in wear of plow
shares, will be twice that OF the cost
of plowing when the ground is moist,
and it will be almost impossible to do
Q good job because of the hardness of
the soil. By good Job. I mean.
plowing to depth OF not less than
elk inches and burying all the sod so
that it may rot. Much OF the plowing
that has been done by the power ma.
chimes the past season is of q wretch.
ed character. 1t is only plowed to
half the proper depth In many instan.
ces, and strips of land are left un.
turned. The men who did that plow.
ing should go and hide. The men that
employed them should only pay them
half the price agreed upon for good
plowing. BY doing such poor plowing
they have injured the good name Of
the firms which they represent and
they have lowered the producing
power of the land. Again I. say, those
men should 60 and hide.
know OF course that shallow plow.
ing may give . good crop the first
year, but how is man to get deeper
the next timeIhesplows unless moisture
comes? he lcannot plow deep and 80
the coil is perpetu ated, whereas II the
plowing was not less than six inches
at the first, there is no real difficulty
in blowing to that depth, subsequent.
ly, even if the weather is dry. 1t is
of great moment therefore, that the
plowing should be of suitable depth
at the fret. 1fltherefore, land dry as
it is now cannot be plowed to q pro.
per depth, would say don't plow it
until it is moist enough to plow it pro.
perly.
With reference to the cropping Of
fall plowed land next season, l would
say that the chances are much better
on fall plowed than on spring plowed
land, especially in dry season. The
moisture from melting SHOWS will
sink more or less into the plowed land,
| and when there it can be kept, where.
as much of the spring moisture will
run over the surface Of the unplowed
land and be lost. A crop OF fax there
fore, for instance, should be better on
such autumn breaking than on spring
breaking.
| Very much the best time to break
the bench lands is when they are moist
and that is usually in the spring. The
work can thenIbe done at q minimum
of cost, and it can be we'll done and
without difficulty. If the ground is
moist in the fall, every burrow that
can be broken should be broken. If
it is moist in the spring as it always
is, breaking should be rushed more
or less during the months OF April,
May and June. After June, the break
ing is usually costly and it will not
produce nearly go good crop as If II
were done early in the season.