Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-03-23

Sdy ABOUT april 10 10, Wnen IL Is
from IL to l6 inches high. At this
stage 1t is still lush and green, so
when 1t Is Dlowed under 1t will de.
cay rapidly. After green manure has
been plowed under the land should
be thoroughly disced to compact the
soil of the ground layer and to cause
It's rapid decay. Where a cover crop
Is allowed to grow late in the spring
1t becomes too mature to decay rap
idly and in addition saps the soil OF
moisture and plant food that should
be reserved for the main crop of the
/ season.
! The fifth step In the early spring
work is the seeding The best stands
of clover In Western Oregon are se-
cured by broadeasting the seed on
fall-sown wheat as early as it Is
possible to get on the ground, say
not later than March Is. This early
seeding, If the soil will permit, should
be followed by a light narrowing to
better cover the seed Field peas,
both in Western and Eastern Oregon,
depend nearly altogether for success.
full yields upon their being seeded
at the earliest possible date the
weather will permit say the latter
part of February or early March.
When the land has been plowed the
field peas may be drilled in TO
depth of three inches at the rate Of
two bushels per acre. If pea hay is
desired, oats should be seeded about
two weeks after the peas have been
sown. II field peas are sown later
than March Is their yield is greatly
reduced. Mangels and other root
crops should also be seeded during
March, as should the thousand-headed
kale. Kale, where seeded early in
March, is ten to twelve inches high
and ready for transplanting by the
first of June. Spring oats, of course,
give the highest yields when seeded
during March. Potatoes generally
give the best crops when seeded be-
tween April Is and March l. Corn,
alfalfa and field beans find the best
seeding time from May / to 10.
The sixth step in the spring work
refers especially to the growing of
legumes, such as vetch, alfalfa and
clover, in Western Oregon. The cor
rection of acidity for alfalfa growing
is absolutely essential This is done
W AlI1lA5 bnC alfalfa SIOuuQ luG ldIs
ter part Of March. Water slaked
lime, at the rate of 500 to 1900
pounds per acre, should be used.
The vetch, clover and alfalfa should
receive a light dressing of from 40
to 60 pounds per acre of land plaster
about April l. Land plaster, of course,
does not correct acidity, but, by
making potash available, legitimately
Increases the yields of leguminous
crops. Land plaster can be broad
,asted either before or after seeding.
or directly on the growing crop, but
should preferably not be applied later
han April Is, as it must be washed
nto the soil by the last spring rains.
Finally, none Of these early spring
operations may be successful unless
good seed is used The enormous
losses suffered by the farmers of
Oregon each year from the use of
Inferior seed is not realized. Seed
ow in vitality or containing large
amounts of noxious weeds are all too
commonly sown, but seldom does the
'armer stop to think how easily this
continued and costly waste may be
prevented. A representative sample
If the seed to be purchased or used
IAN be secured from the scotsman,
Ind this sample placed in an en-
Telope and mailed to the Seed Test
ng Laboratory at the Oregon Agricul-
ural College. where it will be imme-
lately examined as to purity and ger
and reported upon free of
harge. If the seed is inferior it
eed not then be purchased OF sown.
is especially vital that all the
rasses, clover and alfalfa should be
xamined before purchasing and SOW
1s. A tablespoonful sample is suffi-
lent. The month of March is the
1eal time for the farmer to make
for purchasing seed for
be year. All the foregoing costly
perations and labor on the farm may
e thrown away if this step is
eglected.
We should have some record.
realdng yields this year. Seasonal
onditions have never been better If
he Oregon farmer is to get maxi
lum crops, however, he must re-
lember that it will depend very
Irgely upon the careful observance
these first important steps in the
arly spring that win bring results.