Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-03-09
INSTITUTE FOR FARMERS
Discussions and Questions Asked
by Farmers
Col. Wilkinson of Minnesota
One Of Speakers

|PNohNA0
moisture in the ground, than the
plowed field. But it is not practical
to put off all the plowing until spring.
Manuring Soil
The best results in manuring land
have been found where the compost
has been spread lightly and more fre-
quently with the manure spreader
than If shoveled out on the land in
larger quantities at one time. Ten
loads to the acre is about the aver
age quantity required. Tons and
tons of good manure are yearly burn
ed in the state. Corn ground will
take about all the manure that any
one cares to spread upon 1t If worked
in. On wheat ground experience is
different as to the value of manuring
the soil. Some thought that it only
aidedthe drying out, of the ground,
and on wheat land it is not generally
satisfactory. A top dressing put on
with spreader was recommended by
Mr.. Hoverstad as the best way to fer
tilize the soil with compost.
Several farmers asked the best way
this spring to handle land which had
been fall plowed early as every one
knows there was good deal of this
tie and other weeds turned under
last year. It is not a local condition
but general cne. 1t is feared that
the heavy growth of cactus or this
tie following drought last summer,
will cause land to dry out more easily
this year than last, and also re-stock
soil with weeds and thistle plants.
1t was advised to harrow after the
grain was up two or three inches.
Young thistle plants are easily dis
lodged. Fields can be narrowed aft
er wheat has grown five or six inch
es high. A slant tooth harrow is the
best adapted for this.
!, Principles of Moisture Demonstrated
One of the most interesting ex-
periments and talks of the institute
was by Prof. Palmer who showed by
practical demonstrations how water
or moisture passed through solid
Jumps of sugar, up to layer of gran
ulated sugar and there stopped. He
took an ordinary solid lump of sugar
and on top Of it placed some granu-
lated sugar in little heap or mound.
By touching the lump Of sugar to
colored water 1t was seen that the
lump almost instantly absorbed the
water, but this was stopped when it
reached the. layer of granulated SUI
igar. He also called attention to how
quickly lamp wick will draw out
the oil from lamp. The granulat-
ed sugar on the lump Of sugar acted
the same as dust layer or mulch on
the surface of the ground.
Many other instances were named
showing the advantages Yof, keeping
the top soil broken UP to save mois-
iture. Cultiyating corn repeatedly ev-
en- after there are no weeds to be kill
ed and the corn cannot be apparently
helped by plowing demonstrates that
moisture can be retained in the
ground to greater extent than most
people would believe. The same in
potatoes and strawberries.
We must save the moisture and
have it when we need it. To put in
a crop and depend upon showers a
lone. is poor policy, and is bound
to loose in the end but when mois-
ture is once in the ground it can be
saved, to large extent. We always
get8the rains; although they may not
come one year, they will the next;
but 1t takes. work to save the mois-
ture in the ground. !
Prof. Palmer illustrated on the
black board how moisture passed up
through soil, showing particles Of sbil
lin contact and also particles not in
Icontact.@ If we break the connection
between the surface particles, say to
a depth of two inches, and keep It
broken up, the evaporation stops and
the moisture is largely retained: In
1.-THE ground. The top surface Of the
ground after narrowing soon dries,
but every farmer knows that under
meath the soil ID moisture. We cant
| see how fast moisture passes OF from