The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1911-03-02
PROFESSOR THOS. SHAW GIVES
INSTRUCTIONS FOR GROW
ING OF CROPS
TELLS WHEN AND HOW TO PREPARE GROUND. HOW CROPS
OF VARIOUS KINDS SHOULD BE PLANTED

Very many letters are being re-
ceived from time to time with refer
ence to the growing Of crops OF va
rious kinds under northwestern con-
ditions. In order to answer these
! lett ers and to meet the needs of 9TH
ers who may want such information,
this letter has been prepared, in the
hope that wide publicity will be CIV
ell to it by the press.
If the farmers have no land broken,
they should be on their claims as
soon as spring opens and everything
should be ready for going promptly
to work. They should have feed
for their horses until the autumn.
Nor should it be forgotten that food
in the Northwest is both scarce and
dear. The ploWing ought to begin
rs soon as the ground can be ploWed.
1t is seldom that it is too wet for be-
ing plowed in the dry areas of the
Northwest, even in the early spring.
|
should be pressed down with the roll
Ter or the disk, and then narrowed,
even though it is not soWn until lat
er. The moisture will be thus held.
Three crops may be grown on land
thus plowed with the most promise
OF success. These are flax, corn and
| al r.,
all crops that are grown, there should
be a good seed bed. This means that
the surface should be made fine to
the depth of aboutthree inches.
The flax should be sown with the
drill not later than May Is. The
seed shonld be sown at the rate of
II quarts to the acre. 1t should be
buried to inches deep, according
to the surface moisture. Unless the
farmer is assured that wilt is not
present, he ought to treat. the seed
with formaldehyde. If the seed bed
is smooth and not soddy. the flax
may be harroWed when it is } to 4
inches high with very light harrow,
especially if the weather is dry. If
the ground is rough or soddy, the
harrow should not be used on 1T.
The corn may be planted in drills
if for fodder, or in hills if for grain,
SO that it may be cultivated both
ways. Forty-two inches is good
\ Il icf Ea4 Ia ,,l loo
between the hills The seed ought
to he purchased at once, for the seed
is going to be both scarce and dear.
For fodder the Northwestern dent
and Stowell's evergreen sweet are
among the best sorts. For egrain.
the Golden dent, Minnesota No, 13
and the Rustler white dent are all
good. For high elevations, the Mer-
Ger and the Triumph which are flints
may answer better. Five to six
seeds should be dropped in a hill.
Unless for large areas, the hand
planter may be used for the hill
planting, and the graiu drill may.
| 80 WY many I1SlduNCS. Nc uStu Ill
planting the corn in the drills for
fodder. The newcomer should not
fail to sow large area to provide
fodder for the horses. Unless he
does he may have to buy hay and at
a dear price.
The potatoes may be planted in
rows or i'll hills. They should be
put down we'll in the soil. Both the
corn and the potatoes may be great
ly proIted by an occasional harrow
ing until they are several inches
high. These three crops may be
grown by methods that differ consid-
erably from those given, but they are
not so sure in dry season
Spring wheat, especially of the
durum variety may succeed in a rea-
sonably moist year. The same is
true of speltz, white hulless barley
and oats. But these are not nearly so
sure on land thus plowed as the three
GRO ps first mentioned. 1t is always
better to. have the land prepared the
previous year for dry country, but
many homesteaders can not begin
thus. This paper has been written
in the hope of giving some aid to
them and to others who may be sim
ilarly situated. Four pecks each of