The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-03-30
OF INTEREST
TO FARMERS
Some Valuable Hints and In
formation Taken From
Farm Papers
Summer-PaIIOw

- - w
be effective must not be managed IN
a haphazard way. 1t must be man.
aged with every care. If it is mar
aged in a haphazard way, and the
following season should prove a dry
one, the farmer will pay dearly for
his neglect. Under such conditions
it is surprising the influence that is
exerted by apparently a trivial cir
cumstance, as for instance allowing
some volunteer crop to grow on the
land and sap away its moisture.
Every farmer in the dry belt
whose chief business is growing grain
should have a summer-fallow on his
farm. The reason for this is to IN
sure his crop. should the next season
be a dry one. Ii is also greatly inn
portant how this summer-fallow
should be managed. A summer
fallow broken after much of the
moisture has gone out of the ground
and is left so during the remainder
of the season is not a s~ummer-fal-
low. The farmer who tries to fall
law thus in the dry country will pay
dearly for his neglect. When land
is summer fallowed in dry areas it
ought to be plowed at that season of
the year when it has the largest
amount of moisture in it. This will
be sometime between the opening
of spring and the end of June. The
land then has in it the moisture that
entered the ground in the winter,
and later it has the additional mois-
ture that usually falls in May and
on throughout June. 1t is greatly
important that the land shall be
plowed it has plenty of moisture in
it, for when it is plowed at such a
time it is easily possible to retain
not all, but much of the moisture,
until a crop is sown, let that crop
be soWn in the autumn or in the
spring. But, of course until the
spring crop is planted, the farmer is
not going TO have much time. if
any, for blowing summer-fallow.
His time will be occupied in his
crop. If land is plowed for fallow
after the moisture has left it, and
no more moisture falls, until the
grain is sown upon it, the grain will
lie there and not germinate when it
is so planted until moisture comes,
and the hazard is always more or
less present, under such conditions.
that the seed may spoil. q
When the land is plowed, which
will probably be IN May and June,
but sometimes in July, 1t should be
plowed deeply, not less deeply than
,6 inches and if it is plowed more
deeply, 1t is even better. The
ground should be turned well over,
putting the sods under, where they
: will have a chance to decay. The
: plowed ground should be at once
compressed with the roller, a planker
or a disc. The disc should be SO
Used as not to turn up many sods.
The harrow should at once follow to
5 make a dust mulch on the soil. The
1 object is to prevent the escape OF
soil moisture, which is continually
: climbing upwards from below. This
dust mulch must be maintained. II
is easily maintained while the
, weather remains dry, but should
S Rim fall in any consldable quantity
s more or less of a crust forms on the
t soil when it is drying. This crust
cracks open and through the cracks
the soil moisture climbs no and out
unless measures are taken to prevent
u this. 1t Is prevented by running the
o harrow over the soil at the critica
time.
The critical time is when the crus'
r. is beginning to fill with those minute
fsures, and this will take plac,
! more or less within about a da.
: after the rain falls. Such land will
- sprout wheat when planted on it
and will maintain it until NOR
moisture falls.
=, If spring grain is to be sown o.
the summer faIlow the harrow shoul
be used, once or ~oftener. after tn
tine has arrived for sowing white
wheat. 1t is greatly importan
es when managing such land, that tn
If weeds and volunteer grain shall nc
be allowed to grow on it. Thes
TX will sap away moisture to the serio.
detriment of The crop that follow.
Dakota Farmer.