Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-07-24
WINTER RYE IS A
PROFITABLE CROP
Suggestions For Flowing and the Rea
sons for Planting Winter Grains.
M Rar4arl


sons for Planting Winter Grains.
(Superintend w. r. Porter)
There is no use Disgusting the fact
that many counties of the western and
central North Dakota have failed to
produce a better crop than in 1910 and
whole townships will not even pro-
duce enough seed to plant the crop
of 1912.
The soil in these sections is very
dry on account of deficient rainfall
for the past two years. The land last
fall or this spring was plowed when
dry. the subsoil was dry and the rain
fall the past season was only su1flclent
to wet down from six to eighteen
inches at the most. This caused the
wheat plants to form very shallow root
systems. the straw and leaves OF the
plants made magnificent growth as
long as the rains supplied moisture:
but when the rains failed and tire
plants withered away for lack OF water
in exactly the same way flame goes
out when the oil in the lamp is eX'
hausted. 1t was not hot winds or
adverse weather conditions that caus-
ed crop failure in western Dakota IN
1911 but lack of water in the soil.
The land in these sections of the
state is now without a crop and the
soil is very dry and in many places
compact How should it be treated
to best insure crop next year? Part
of the land should be fall plowed,
should abundant rains come this will
he accomplished without difficulty.
1t should be plowed not less than six
inches deep when the surface soil is
reasonably moist. But soaking rains
probably will not come. Prepare for
such by discing the land as soon as
harvested or if the crop is not worth
cutting disc thoroughly now; this will
cause what moisture there is in the
ground to be arrested below the mulch
made by the disc. The chopped up
straw and weeds lying on the surface
will also help to hold any water that
may come in the form of showers ex-
actly as leaf mould holds moisture
Tn this way two or three light showers
might wet up 1'ece sof disced land
50 it would pillow easily. while the
same showers would have no effect
nan undisced piece of land. The
disced land can then be 1lowed to a
depth OF six or more inches if it is
moistened to good advantage.
But many will say there is no moist
ure in the lower layers Of soil or
surface soil even. If the Russian
thistles are growing they are using
moisture that should be stored in the
soil to make blowing practical and
very easy for the crops next year.
Follow the pillow with the 4ub-sur-
face packer or harrow and do this the
same day the land is plowed and as
soon after blowing as possible. 1t is
as necessary to follow the plow with
these implements the same day the
blowing is done as it is necessary to
use cement the day it is mixed.
Light soils that are inclined to blow
are often better left for spring plow-
ing, but If fall plowed such land is
generally better left unharroWed as
rough land does not blow so rapidly
as smooth land.
Winter Wheat.
If the crop should be successfully
carried through the winter and spring
it would be worth millions of dollars
to North Dakota as it is mature before
the adverse winter weather has time
to injure it to any great extent. Eek.
periments carried on for several years
show that winter wheat cannot be de-
pended upon to go through the winter
on ploWed land or summer fallow but
if it is planted in standing corn or in
stubble it can nearly always be de.
pended upon to 60 through the winter
and produce good crop, provided
there is enough moisture to terminate
the seed. Winter wheat should al
ways be drilled into the corn at least
one row in four should be left with
the stalks standing to catch the win
ter's snow--a one-horse drill should be
used between the corn rows; if the
corn is short the ordinary disc grain
drill may be used. Stubble land should
be disced with the discs set nearly
straight three or four days before the
wheat is seeded in order to arrest the
moisture for the wheat kernels, as
soon as planted If winter wheat is
seeded in stubble it should always
be seeded with a disc drill and the
wheat should be nut down about three
inches. From the 10th to the 18th
of August is the best time to seed
winter wheat in western North Da-
kota, and under no circumstances
should it be seeded after September
1 of before August I. Weeds in the
stubble such as Russian thistle, will
help the winter wheat to go through
the winter to a very marked extent.
Turkey red North Dakota grown seel
should be used if possible.
Winter Rye.
Winter rye is crop that has been
grown to quite an extent in the Red
river valley in order to clean up the
land. 1t is crop that is entirely
hardy and will go through practically
any winter without killing out. 1t has
been grown quite successfully in the
central and western portion of North
Dakota the past two seasons with ex-
cellent results, producing good crop
of grain where wheat, oats. barley and
flax entirely failed to produce a crop
m account Of the adverse conditions.