The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-01-31

Extent to Which Volunteer Grain
Grows Is Troublesome.
Summer Following Ono Year and
Following Up Next Season With
Wheat, Man Has Chance to
Destroy Obnoxious Grain.

The extent to which volunteer
grain grows in dry areas is perplexing
to the farmer who has In mind the
rotation Of crops upon his farm. In
western areas where winter wheat
only Is grown the problem is easy.
BY the system followed the farmer
summer-fallowed one year and the
next year grows wheat. While he Is
summer-fallowing his land he has the
chance to destroy much grain that
would otherwise give him trouble.
But In many areas even in the dry
country, some rotation Is wanted, says
the Dakota Farmer. How, then, can
the farmer keep down the pest of vol
unteer grain that II present will de-
stroy the purity OF his grain and cause
1t to mix, in some instances to a vexa-
tious extent.
This evil will be greatly minimized
by the following rotation: Summer
fallow one year. grain; some cultivat-
ed crop, grain. This rotation would
only call for the real SUNNI er-fallow
one year In four Two years would
be devoted to cleaning the land, that
Is the year that 1t was fallow and the
year that the cultivated crop was
grown. Thus there would be three
crops taken from the ground In four
years. BY this system the land ought
to be kept free from volunteer grain
and also from weeds. The summer
fallow should take away everything
that Is offensive the year that 1t was
being done, and the cultivated crop
would do the some, while it was be-
ing grown, that Is to say, If the farmer
did his duty toward it.
The cultivated crop will include
corn, potatoes. beans and field roots
and possibly peas. Peas, however.
may not pay for such cultivation.
That has yet to be proved. OF these
crops, corn will be away beyond all
comparison the most important, as 1t
will be grown over wide areas. 1t is
the easiest OF these crops to grow and
Is also the surest except in the case
of potatoes. 1t Is also the most need
ed as its fodder Is wanted on every
farm In the dry area.
| If alfalfa can be introduced into the
rotation in somewhat regular way
1t will still further aid in safeguard
ing the cleaning of the land. If al
falfa occupied the ground for term
Of years, say three or four, the volun
teer grain would perish. How long
such grain would live In the ground
would depend chiefly on the amount
of moisture in the soil, but 1t Is about
certain that ordinary grain would not
retain vitality longer in areas where
the moisture Is enough to grow annual
crops Of grain.
Some gain will probably result from
disking the ground right away after
harvest. OF course should the wealth
er continue dry up to harvest but lit
tie Of the grain would sprout. But
should any considerable amount Of
rain fall before growth would cease
much OF the volunteer grain would
sprout, and 1t would then be buried
with the plow.
OF course the harm done by volun
teer grain VIII be greatly minimized
when 1t grows up in a crop that Is tc
be used for food, but even then 1t may
do much harm. not by reducing the
value of the grain as food. SO much al
by taking too much moisture away
from the main crop. One who hal
not witnessed 1t can hardly imagine
how much harm may be done in The
way last named. by sapping moisture
out of the soil. An eastern man MAJ
laugh at the idea of volunteer grai1
sapping the moisture out of the sol
10 the extent OF spelling growth In ,
crop of corn. and yet that Is what ha!
been seen in several instances thu
past season. OF course the corn hat
not been given enough cultivation, bu
~ wao cultivated several times