The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-03-08
DRY FARMING
Advice to Help the 1912 Yield Which Every Man
Who Farms in Semi-And Regions Should Read.

ture in the soil to grow a crop of
grain that follows the corn. A SINH
lar result should follow on potato
land and on land that had grown
leans or field roots.
After the cultivated crop the land
should not be turned to prepare it
for the next crop. To pillow it would
render the seed bed less firm and it
would allow the escape of much
moisture. The disc and the harrow
will prepare it for beingsown. When
small grain is sown on land thus
prepared fair crop may be looked
for in a dry year. Should the year
be one of normal rainfall the crop
will be good. Should the precipita-
ton be more than normal the crop
will be unusually large. Thus, in
any event, the extra labor expended
in preparing the land is not lost.
Fodder corn can be successfully
grown in nearly all the tillable por-
tons of the mountain states, and
also in the plains country where the
elevation is not more than 1000 feet
above the sea.
Where corn may lie thus grown,
with rainfall averaging from say
IA to Is inches in year, it should
be quite possible to grow three crops
in four years. The order would be
as follows: Summer fallow; small
grain preferably winter wheat);
corn or other cultivated crops; COM
ing back to small grain again. The
three crops should be, practically,
sure, regardless of the character of
the seasons. This system would
also keep the land free from foul
weeds as it would have one fallow
and one cultivated crop, that is,
two cleaning crops in the four years.
But there is one lack about this
rotation. 1t does not provide for
a renovating crop. This, however,
may be readily introduced iuto the
rotation. The renovating crop will
be alfalfa. 1t will enrich the soil
and put humus into it, and will
furnish hay. Itmay be successfully
grown where the rainfall is IL inches
and more, and when the land is
broken it will be in an excellent
c ondition mechanically for growing
several crops of grain.
When growing alfalfa, the ground
should be prepared by summer fall
lowing or by growing cultivated
crop. 1t should be MANFRED liber-
ally with yard manure before
the summer faDow or the cultivated
crop as the case may be-. From
the opening Of the following spring,
the land should be kept clean and
a dust mulch should be maintained
on it. The seed should be sown
with the drill late in May. Not
more than eight pounds per acre
should be sown and probably less
amount will answer. It should be
buried two inches or a little less,
according to the soil. 1t should be
narrowed with a light harrow when
about four inches high. 1t should
be sown alone and clipped when
about 10 inches high by running the
mower over it.
The crop should yield from one
and one.half to two tons to the acre
each year.
Small amounts of seed of all kinds
must be used lest there should be a
larger number of plants than the
moisture in the soil will maintain.
The grain crops should also be har-
rowed from one to five times ac-
cording to the conditions after they
have begun to appear. One Of the
best times for narrowing is when
the grain is just beginning to ap-
pear.
ARESOLUTlON