Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1913-05-08
CROPS ! FOR
late PLANTING
NEARLY ALL OF MAY CAN BE
SPENT IN PLANTING AND
SEEDING.
BY Prof. Thos Shaw.

BY Prof. Thos Shaw.
In North Dakota the season for
sowing is abnormally late, owing in
part ito the late coming of spring, in
part stp the wet condition of much of
the land when spring opened, and in
part to the very small per centage of
the land that was plowed last aut-
umna Even with favorable weather
throughout May, therefore, the SOW
ing Of grain will be unusually late,
which means that such sowing will
be attended with more or less of haz-
ard to the grain crop, even though
the season should prove favorable.
II 1t should prove unfavorable, which
is 9 possibility, the sowing of grain
late would he attended with great
loss.
Why should the farmers incur
such hazard? There is time in
sowing and planting l;oyond which
hazard comes to the crop, but fortu-
nately. that time varies much with
different crops. Why, then, would
the plan not be wise which would
lessen the area of the crops that can
not be sown or planted in time, and
increase the area of those crops that
come later and therefore may be
sown in season? Flax may be sown
much. later than wheat and still be
in season. While it is usually haz-
ardous to SOW wheat much after the
end of April, flax may be sown safely
up to the end of May. The sowing
may even extend few days into
June, but beyond that it should;not
go lest it should not ripen. Why,
then, should not this be a fax year?
The seed is not dear. 1t is when
seed is very dear that men should
go slowly with reference to the acre
age that they SOW.
Barley also may be sown quite
late. on into the first days of June.
The yield Wal usually be less than
from earlier sown barley, but still
may be at least fair. Sowing it thus
late will render substantial aid in
the battle against weeds. Why
should not this be barley year?
Corn may be safely planted up to
the end of May. Seed is easily OBJ
tainable the present season, and the
quality is much ahead of what it was
in 1912. Why not make this corn
year in North Dakota? Why should
not the plan be good that would
plant large areas to corn to provide
fodder, and large areas also of small
growing varieties on which to fatten
swine in the autumn, the swine to
harvest the corn? In this way large
areas of the land would be cleaned
as a result of the cultivation given
the corn. The moisture also would
be SO conserved that good crop of
grain would be obtained from the
corn land the next year.
Beans may be planted up to June
1. OF course there are areas In
North Dakota where the extensive
growing of beans would not be ad-
visable, owing to the early coming
of autumn frosts. But there are
other areas in which this hazard sell
dom occur. Why not make this
bean year in the latter? Where
beans can be safely and successfully
grown they are profitable crop, and
fine yields of grain may be obtained
from bean land the following year.
Millet can be sown safely in near
ly all parts of North Dakota as late
as June 10. The conditions in the
state are quite favorable to its sue
cessful growth. This is true of 1t
whether grown on the broadcast plan
or in rows and cultivated. The lat
ter plan is sometimes adopted when
growing broom corn or hog millet
for seed. Better crops of wheat may
be obtained after millet than when
wheat follows grain. Why not make
this millet year in North Dakota?
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