Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-07
Questions and Answers.
Replies by Members Of the
North Dakota Agricultural
College.
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College.
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QUESTION. How is cream ripened?
ANSWER. (By Professor G. L. Mar.
tin, Professor of Dairying). BY allow
ing it to stand at about 20 degrees F.
until o u enough for c%hurning.
QUESTION. Which is best. to sell
milk at 16 cents per gallon, butterfat
at "a cents per pound, or Is per cream
at so cents a gallon?
ANSWER. (By Professor G. L. Mar
tin, Professor of Dairying). Selling
milk at 16 cents per gallon will bring
the largest cash returns, then 10 per
cent cream, and, finally. butterfat.
QUESTION. In regard to alkali
lands, what can be done to improve
them, what crops are most beneficial,
and which crops are most alkaline re-
sistant?
ANSWER. (By Professor J. H. Shep-
perd, Dean of Agricultural Depart
ment). Alkali IN soil is a result of a
lack Of drainage in almost, if not in
every instance. To remove alkaline
conditions from the soil, the first
thing to provide is drainage. Water
which has passed over or soaked
through other soil, drains down on the
lowest level. and where there is no
outlet, stands until the sun and wind
evaporates it. Those alkali salts,
which are common barrel salt, Epson
and Glauber salts, remain on the sur
and the low ground gradually accumu-
lates these salts, which have been
washed out OF the higher lands. This
moving water also carries the very
finest Of soil particles and deposits
them in these low places with the re-
suit that the soil becomes very COM
pact, or what the plowmen calls gum
my, so that water passes through it
with great difficulty. This condition
naturally becomes gradually worse
until drainage is provided and is grad
ually improved after a drainage sys.
tenn is installed. The first treatment
should then be drainage for an alkali
infected piece of ground.
Another means of improvement is
deep blowing. This is frequently a
very difficult matter, as alkali soil is
usually what is called a gumbo soil,
or one that is very stiff, sticky and
hard to plow. This land should have
as much straw and strawy manure
plowed into it as possible. The deep
blowing gives the water very much
greater chance to work into and
through the soil gathering soluble
salts and carrying them out through
the drainage system, which has been
provided. The straw will help to
keep the soil from running together
again and thus it helps the percola-
ton or drainage. The straw and lit
ter and deep blowing also tend. to
make the soil become mellow, the OPP
posite of the gummy or gumbo type.
so that it is more easily worked.
warns up more rapidly and stimu-
lates plant growth to a very much
greater extent.
Bronze grass and red top succeed
with a greater amount of alkali than
any Of the other cultivated crops that
I can call to mind. In districts where
the Australian salt bush grows sue
cessfully it is commonly used on
alkaline soils which are being reno
waited. 1t is not a success in this
country, consequently is not on u
lists.
If alkali spots are small persistent
deep blowing, Notwithstanding the fact
that it is extremely hard to do. and
the working in of littery stable ma
nure will usually soon relieve the aka
line conditions if the drainage is rea.
sonably good.
QUESTION. Can wet land be sue.
cessfully tiled in North Dakota?
ANSWER. (By Professor R. M.
Dolve, Professor of Agricultural Engi-
neering). The success with which
systems already installed are meet
an unqualified success in North Dako-
ia wherever an efficient outlet can be
secured. BY cooperation of farmers
In a drainage district outlets may be
secured almost any place at a cost
commensurate with the returns. One
thing must not be lost sight of, viz,
that the small grade available In a
fiat country makes accurate work i'm.
peratiye. All surveying should. there
fore, be done by a competent engineer
and the bitches must be cut to grade
by a workmen who understands his