The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-21
Moisture The Determining Factor In
Crop Productions Conserving Method

and In sufficient numbers to afford
manure that viii replace the humus
annually absorbed or withdrawn by
the growing crops.
yard manure has a prominent place.
The humus in the soil not only re-
tards evaporation but encourages the
multiplication OF useful bacteria to
such extent. 1t Is claimed, that much
less water Is actually required to pro
duce a crop. The mission of h bac-
terra seems to be to make plant food
available for the growing plants, and,
consequently. the more plant food
they make available for the soil wa
ter to take up In solution, the less
or this water. highly charged as II
Will be with plant nutrition. is re.
quired to nourish the plant. just as Il
gallon OF milk will afford as much
nutrition. when fed to pigs. as two
gallons that Is half water.
In addition to the physical effect
that manure has upon the soil. the
live stock. whether cattle. sheep.
swine. or horses. are sure revenue
producers and tend. by thus DIVERSE
tying the farmers Income. to insure
the e necessary for the family's
support as we'll a to distribute the
farm work equitably Throughout:
me year. Moreover. the mere assoc
citation with livestock. especially with
we'll bred livestock. exerts a bene-
hcient influence upon men. women.
and children alike. Doubtless, Moth
Ing new can be said at this time that
OF blowing and methods of tillage
necessary to produce crops with the
minimum of moisture. Our experi-
mentors and institute lecturers have
presented these, matters to you in
season and out of season. l can only
urge upon the farmers of North Da-
kota the necessity of applying suf-
without question, sufficient moisture.
for when that fails. everything fails.
Moreover. the additional tillage given
to the soil Is itself beneficial whether
given for the purpose of conserving
moisture or not. The rule in Holland
is to pillow all stubble ground three
times and alfalfa ground from five
The reason the Dutch farmer assigns
for repeated blowing is that expert
ence has demonstrated that the best
results are thus Misunderstanding all
the work into consideration.
Deep blowing evidently entertains
more rainfall without permitting any
"r%un-off" than shallow blowing. Disc
ing behind the binder not only de-
stroys the small weeds that otherwise
would soon sap soil of its remaining
, moisture, but produces a graduated
mulch to retain the moisture still be-
low n surface and also grinds the
stubble into the mulch. so that when
the ground is plowed. later. neither
Jumps nor a packing of stubble and
weeds will insulate the furrow slice
from the sub-soil. Where the disc
follows the binder. it becomes a COM
paratively easy matter to make an
almost perfect seed bed. Otherwise.
it is most difficult, and the inferior
seed hed-caused by the presence of
Jumps and thrash-is largely respon-
sible for a poor crop, on account of the
subsoil moisture. not being able to
reach the grain rootlets hat suffer in
the dry furrow slice above.
Weeds also are a source OF great
damage to crops. especially where
precipitation is not suberabundant. 1t
has been somewhat accurately demon
strated that where weeds flourish in
considerable numbers. the moisture
they take from the ground would, il
permitted to produce grain instead of
weeds. make from ten to twelve BUSH
els more wheat per acre.
After all. 1t is, profits the farmer is
after. When producing. grain, there
Is no profit until the cost Of produce
bushels Of wheat to pay the cost of
production. a twelve-bushel crop will
only afford the profit there is in four
bushels. BY using better seed. by
keeping the fields freer Of weeds and
by giving the soil a little better till.
age. 1t is as Easy to produce a sixteen
bushel crop.
When 1t is understood that one six
teen-bushel crop of wheat is as pro-
f1table as w twelve-bushel crops, II
would seem more than worth while to
secure the double profit. But even a
sixteen-bushel crop is too small to be
proud Of. North Dakota farmers
should aim to produce something like
an average of thirty bushels every
year-and I believe they can do it.