The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-12-08

OF the Dakotas. therefore, should be
thankful for our fertile prairIes and
for the fact that by conserving the nat
ural precipitation, there will always
be moisture in abundance. This viii
require work. 1t will require a large
amount OF extra work, but the results
Will more than justify all the labor re-
CURED.
The Effect of Weeds.
Weeds sap the earth of moisture.
They are nuisance in every way. AS
well attempt to feed pig and lamb
out Of the same trough, with just
enough milk for the pig, and expect to
get good crop Of wool and mutton.
The weed is a pig after moisture and
being wild, degenerate thing. mani
tests neither mercy nor courtesy to
other plants. Get rid Of them. 1t is
easier to rid the fields of weeds than to
conserve sufficient moisture to nourish
a crop OF weeds and have enough mois-
ture left to mature a decent crop of
grain. The farmer who goes into part
nership with weeds must expect to
give them the cream OF the moisture
and the fertility 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 wa
ter is required to make a crop as
where the soil is worn out and thin,
just as half gallon Of good rich milk
will go as far when fed to pigs as a
gallon Of milk that is half water.
Good tillage tends to liberate plant
food--to render 1t available for the
growing crop. Deep blowing enlarges
the sphere of bacterial activity and
increases, accordingly, the feeding
space within which the roots secure
nourishment. Deep blowing also pro-
vides greater storage for water, which
otherwise would run off and carry with
1t valuable mineral elements taken up
in solution.
Barnyard manure not only adds
largely to the fertility Of the soil and
furnishes humus that greatly tends to
check evaporation. but its chemical ef-
feet upon the soil elements is most sal
utary.
Good, deep. thorough tilIage. absence
- v N~NSt 1AA4 SpAAAAAAIG VI SO
combine to conserve moisture and en-
able the growing crop to mature with
less moisture. for reasons already
stated, that even without special tiIlage
for moisture conservation. the evil ef-
fects resulting from droughts would
seldom be felt. But IL we add to these
things the tillage that maintains a So
called dust mulch--that is, if the crust
that results from heavy showers is
broken whenever possible without in
jury to the growing crop, the proba-
btlities Of losing a crop on account of
drought are very remote.
Conservation Must BE Continuous,
The conservation Of moisture must
be continuous from year to year to
prove entirely effective. BY so doing.
the subsoil gradually becomes satur-
ated to considerable depth, affording
a reserve OF moisture that even a very
dry year cannot exhaust.
repeat the necessity OF constant
vigilence In order to store up In the
soil as much of the rain that falls after
harvest as possible. The most effec-
tive way to accomplish this is to fol-
low the binder with a disc. shocking
the grain on the disced ground. This
not only destroys the weeds that would
otherwise sap the ground of moisture.
but creates dust mulch that prevents
evaporation as well. 1t also pulverizes
the surface insuring, when the furrow
- turned, a compact seed bed for the
next crop. The moisture rising from
the lower depths will collect under the
dust mulch. affording sufflcient mols-
ture TO turn deep furrow with COM
parative ease. Moreover, the ground
should be sufficiently moist, when thus
treated. 70 do good job OF blowing.
AZ matter of fact. ground should new
er be plowed when bone dry, il good
results are to be expected. ii may be
necessary to drag the disced ground
before u is plowed, and even after ii
ID piowed. should heavy showers form
a crust
Very few farmers, suspect, will so
To all this extra trouble TO conserve
moisture. and come to think of ii.
there IL no law that compeis them to
do so. However, shall be among the
first TO welcome an easier solution OF
this moisture problem.
Corn and Alfalfa.
A good way to got rid of weeds il ID
put generous portion Of the farm iii
alfalfa and in corn. Both are splen~
did weed killers and necessitate the
keeping of livestock The livestock
will convert the coarse grains and for
age into monsy and manure. The