The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-06-26
USING CORN AS
DRY FARM PRODUCT
SUPERINTENDENT PORTER, su-
SUPERINTENDENT A. c. DEMON.
sTRATIoN FARMS DISCUSSES
CORN GROWING WHERE LIGHT
RAIN IS USUAL.

"In all the dry farming areas the
conservation Of the rainfall in the soil
where 1t becomes available to growing
crops Is the keystone of successful
agricultural operations says W. r.
Porter, superintendent Of demonstra-
tion farms Of the North Dakota Agri-
cultural college.
This is generally done by the Gull
tivation of the soil during the entire
growing season. If no crop is pro-
duced on the land this operation is
called summer falIow or summer Gull
ture. Over most Of the dry farming
area nearly IL not as good grain crops
can be grown following a cultivated
crop as after the summer fallowed
land.
When the bare fallow system is
used whole year elapses without any
returns either on the investment or for
the labor performed. If a cultivated
crop may be grown with as good crops
following 1t should more than pay it's
| expense which will consist of the cost
of the seed, planting and harvesting:
the cultivation would have to be done
anyway so this could not be counted
against the cost of production Of crop
of corn. Corn is pre- eminently this
crop-First, because it produces an
abundance of cheap feed. Second, 1t
shades the soil during the excessively
hot days of July and August thereby
preventing loss Of soil fertility, and
| third, a corn field has a cooling rath-
er than a heating influence on the
winds that blow across it. This may
have very beneficial effect on sur
rounding crops when the temperature
is near the 100 degree mark.
"On most farms in the dry farm
ing area enough live stock should be
kept to pay most of the running ex-
penses OF the farm Hay and pastur-
age are very short in such areas and
consequently too dear for cheap live
stock production Enough corn should
be grown to supply, first, the work
horses; second. to supplement the pas
lures of the summer and fall as a soil
ing crop or In the form of ensilage
and to form the bulk of their winter
ration; fourth, to supply the sheep
and hogs a cheap fattening food for
finishing them off in the fall.
THE first essential to corn culture
on the dry farms is live stock for with
out such there is no way of utilizing
the corn crop. but if live stock are kept.
feed must be had, the corn crop can be
converted into beef. pork, mutton, wool,
butter and eggs; commodities that can
always be converted into cash or it's
equivalent. The by-product of live
stock (manure), should go back onto
the land to replenish the diminishing
supply of humus and fertilizing ele-
ments to essential to large yields.
The second essential to corn culture
is conviction that it will pay to grow
live stock on the corn crop produced
and a determination to grow corn as
their chief feed in spite of adverse
circumstances. In order to be success
full in growing corn on dry farm the
selection of the proper variety is es-
sential In western North Dakota and
eastern Montana Squaw. Gehu. King
Phillip and Triumph will probably
prove the best flint varieties while
Golden Dent and Northwestern Dent
will probably prove the best Dent va
rieties. Good seed is very important.
1t should always terminate strong and
IS per cent or better.
THE time to seed is from MAY 10 to
is in well prepared seed bed which
has been MANFRED and plowed the fall
before and which has been narrowed at
intervals from the time the soil has
thawed out in the spring until the time
Of seeding. Thorough cultivation is
very important as 1t warns the soil
decreases evaporation of soil water and
forces the corn ahead very rapidly. on
the dry farms the corn should be cul-
tivated after every rain as soon as pos
sible in order to bottle all water posi-
BILE in the soil. AS soon as the corn
Is cut the land should be disced lightly
but 1t should not be p1owed. Should
any heavy soaking rains come after
this in the fall the land should again be
narrowed. In the spring wheat should
be sown as early as possible, but very
rarely should the corn land be pIowed
before seeding wheat"