The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1911-12-09

tions that happen to be almost perfect,
which seldom occurs. Small grain
should be given the best possible chance
for development and not unnecessarily
subjected to hardship and disease.
With good seed bed to start with,
with seed properly treated for the pur-
pose of destroying disease spores and
that is otherwise clean. sound, and of
good termination strength, and with
sufficient moisture to nourish the grow
ing plants from seed time to harvest,
no country can excel Western North Da-
kota for productiveness. But all these
conditions are seldom present. There 8
the rub. Then what is the remedy?
EFFECT OF DROUGHT.
| Unquestionably, the greatest foe to
profitable agriculture in Western North
Dakota is lack of sufficient rainfall be-
tween seed time and harvest. This is
equally true of all parts of the state
and for that matter of states within the
humid belt. But whose fault is it?
Why should any farmer permit an ele-
ment so necessary and essential as
water to run to waste or needlessly
evaporate when it is the determining
factor that regulates the harvest? II
sufficient rain does not fall during the
growing period. then what falls out of
the growing period must be conserved
as we'll. This is the key to successful
agriculture in every region of limited
precipitation and farmers who ignore
it ignore it at their peril.
! WHY THIS FERTILITY?
The very fact that your soil is exceed.
ingly fertile is owing to limited rain.
fall. Excessively humid countries are
not fertile except the swamps which re-
ceive their incessant toll of soluable
plant food, carried thither by the run-ofl
from the uplands. The sea also re.
ceives a large share of soluable fer.
tility, but never gives it up again.
We of the Dakotas. therefore. should be
thankful for our fertile prairies and fol
the fact that by conserving the natural
precipitation, there will always be
moisture in abundance. This will re.
quire work. 1t will require a large
amount of extra work, but the results
will more than justify the labor re-
qulred.
THE EFFECT OF WEEDS.
Weeds sap the earth of moisture
They are nuisance in every way. Al
well attempt to feed pig and lamt
out of the same trough, with JUS
enough milk for the pig, and expect {
good crop of wool and mutton. The
weed is pig after moisture aud being
wild, degenerate thing, manifest.
neither mercy nor courtesy to Othe1
plants. Get rid of them. 1t is easier
to rid the fields of weeds than to con.
serve sufficient moisture to nourish 6
crop of weeds and have enough moisture
left to mature decent crop of grain
The farmer who goes into partnership
with weeds must expect to give then
the cream of the moisture and the fer:
tility without either thanks or profit
from them.
KEEP THE SOIL FERTILE.
Where the soil is kept highly fertile
but little more than half as much
water is required to make crop al
where the soil is worn out and thin
just as half gallon of good rich mill
will 60 as far when fed to pigs as {
gallon of milk that is half water.
Good tillage tends to liberate plan
food to render it available for the grow
ing crop. Deep plowine enlarges th'
sphere of bacterial activity and in
creases. accordingly. the feeding spac'
within which the roots secure nourish
ment. Deep plowing also provide
greater storage for water. which other
wise would run off and carry with
valuable mineral elements taken up il
solution.
Barn-yard manure not only add
largely to the fertility of the soil ant
furnishes humus that greatly tends t
check evaporation, but its chemica
effect upon the soil elements is mos
salutary.
Good. deep. thorough tillage. absenc
of weeds, and abundance Of fertility 8
combine to conserve moisture and en-
able the crops to mature with les
moisture, for reasons already stated
that. even without special tillage fo
moisture conservation. the evil effect
resulting from drought would seldom b
felt But if we add to these things tn
tilla9e that maintains so-called dus
: mulch, that is, if the crust that result
from heavy showers is broken up when
ever possible without injury to tn
growing crop. the probabilities of losin
crop on account Of drought are YER
. remote.
CONSERVATION MUST BE CON