The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1911-09-28
PERIOD or MATURING
Critical Time for Crops IN North.
western States.
Short Yisld Commonly Arises From
Two causSs---Laek o. SUFFICIENT
Moisture and Injury Done BY
Warm Ntlnds.

W Aattf " tNeNsAr
The critical period for crops In the
northwestern states II not usually
when tho crop is sown. cor during the
early stages Of growth, tut later; THAI
ID, toward the period OF maturing Il
90 eaRily possible to carry q crop on
that II Bis with promise until It comes
near the ripening period. and whea
that stage approaches. the realization
Of what Was promised earlier Is nos
attained In some instances, It Il
50 Tar short as 70 amount 10 q sense
to failure
The RESULT referred to more com
moHiy arises fioTn two causes. says
the Dakota Farmer. One Is the lack
OF sufIicient moisture to carry the
crop 70 maturity. and the other is thu
injury that may come from warn
winds that blow for successive days
and interfere With the 1Iling OF the
grain. It might seem at FIRST thought
that the farmers are At the mercy Of
the elements, and can do nothing to
prevent the injury referred to from
either of the causes named. But such
Ii not the fact It is true OF course
that the farmer cannot make It rain,
and II issalso true he cannot command
the winds Nevertheless he can dc
much to ward on the injury thai
would otherwise result from either
should It threaten.
The soil may be prepared for the
crop In way that Will hold the mois
tute that falls for a period sufficiently
long 70 bring some relief to the crops
should they be threatened with g
shortage, or with injury from undue
heat. The preparation called for rnas
be two.fold ID character. II may CON
sist of keeping I'm the moisture By CUR
face cultivation. or It may mean the
stocking Of the land with hpmus
These may both be acc0mp iished In
one season but more commonly they
are resorted TO In different seasons
The stirring OF the surface son In
wolves bringing the summer-sallow IN
to the rotation or the growing Of sons
crop that calls for cultivation during
much OF the period OF growth. Which
OF these methods 10 to be- chosen must
be determined BY the Attendant cop
ditlons. n the soil Is infested BY per
ennial weeds that are difilcult Of sradi
cation. the sumEner-fallow IL 70 b
chosen. The same is true Of any sol
that wants cleaning n the farmer Il
not prepared to utilize to adydRtagg
the crops that maybe TINS gfown
Where he sls 80 PREPARED then tksS GUT
tivated crep As to be preferred to the
bare fallow.
Humus may be put into the SOL sbl
introducing any kind Of d grass .oT
clover crop into the rotation. When
the sod OF any OF these ia broken, .
large supply OF humus is put into the
soil Ia the form Of roots and stubhle
or top growth. The Increased power
given to the soil BY this process ii
sorry Considerable 1t Is specially
helpful when hot winds come, Tor
there Is then a reserve, as It were, oi
moisture Ia the soii that would moi
otherwise be there. ana its presence
may be able to carry the growing
through q critical period where Il
would otherwise tail
The two processes may be carried
on the same senson. assfor instance
when the. land Ia stimnersfaliowed and
one or two crops are buried during
the sNinmer-fallowiug process This
v0ay easily Bssdons by making one oi
these winter rye and the other some
quick growing crop on top OF the
buried rye.
The necessity for giving attention
10 these methods increases with the
wearing OF the soil When land ia
first broken It Is usually well supplied
with humus Each grain crop taken
from IT lessons the supply. The result
b, finally. that the humus supply ID
20 low that the soil Is not well able to
resist the influences OF drought
Wherever the rainfall Is short in a
normal season, and wherever hot
winds are liable to prevail, close at.
tention should be given to both those
methods Of warding on crop failure,