The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-03-09
THREE CROPS in FOUR YEARS
FOR DRY LAND FARMERS
In MONTANA
PROFESSOR THOMES SHAW GIVES PRACTICAL WAY OF
ACCOMPLISHING THIS BY SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT

Two metnOuS may De 1ollOWeu III
gro ) ing crops in Montana with al
most unfailing success. by one of
tn ese land is properly summer fall
lowed, and by the other crop is
grown upon it that calls for cultiva-
ion while it is being grown. The
success that follows from the grow
ing of grain crops OH soils thus pre-
pared comes chiefly from the extent
to which the cultivation given has
resulted in the conservation of mois-
ture. Experience and observation
have both shown that when grain
crop follows either of these methods,
it will be more or less successful,
even in the driest season. If the
first method only is adopted, when
growing crops in the dry area, but
one crop will he obtained in two
years, but by properly combining
the two methods three crops may be
btained in four years.
A practical way of accomplishing
this VIII be appar rent from the fol-
lowing: Suppose farmer had a
quarter section of land and he wants
to farm it thus. He can set aside
say 40 acres OH which to grow alfalfa
and pasture. This will leave 120
acres OIL which to grow other crops.
This divided into four equal parts
gives 30 acres for each. On No. he
has summer fallow; OH No. 2, fodder
corn: OH No. 3 and No, winter
grain. These will occupy the land
f=that- season. The next year winter
| wheat will follow on the first, spring
wheat on the second, summer fallow
| on the third, and fodder corn on the
fourth. The third year corn wi fol-
low OH the first, summer fallow OH
! the second, winter wheat on the
third and spring grain OH the fourth.
The fourth year spring grain will oc-
| cupv the first, winter wheat the sec
! ond, corn the third and summer fal-
low the fourth, 1t will be found by
| following the rotation outlined, that
three crops will be grown on the
land in four years. One of these in
each instance will be corn and the
other two will be grain. similarly,
10y dividing the land Alright, areas Of
any size may be thus cropped.
BY this system onehalf OF the land,
aside from the pasture land. would
be in grain, one-foulth in fodder
corn, and one fourth in summer fall
low. This would mean that three
] foulths of the area cultivated would
be producing each year and only one
fourth idle; wheleas, if no cultivat-
ed crop was sown, onehalf the land
would be idle each year.
The only valid objection to such a
system would be the amount of work
that growing the corn would cal
for. 1t would mean, of course, thai
the farmer could not crop so mucl
land as by the other system. but i,
would also mean that much more
crop would be obtained from givel
area. thus adding greatly to the ag
| gregate OF production. Ii the farm.
er did not want to harvest his corn,
he could Craze it down with live
stock. or he could harvest a part OF
it and Craze the rest.
Such a system would be very help
ful in cleaning the land. Every 9TH
Ell year the land would be cleaned,
one year with summer fallOw and
the other with a cultivated crop.
Such system Of farming should
keep the land absolutely clean, if
| faithfully done.
But even this method of rotating
crops can not be continued indetin-
itely Oh the same land. 1t is the
best succession, however, to begin
with, OF at least it is one OF the best.
After time it woutd be necessary
to introduce u crop that would put
humus into the land. and that would
add to its fertility. For such a use
it will probably be found that alfal-
ia will answer the purpose best.