The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-08

ton is now operating Twenty -Iuui
state demonstration farms in which
crop rotation, good tilIage and good
seed are used to produce good crops Oh
grain.
The state superintendent, w. r,
Porter. has the following report of the
work for the sever years since they
started:
Six of these farms were located in
the spring of 1906, at Beach, New Sa-
lem and Bismarck on the main line OF
the Northern Pacific railroad and at
Ross. Granville and Lakota on the
main line of the Great Northern rail-
road. These farms have now been
operated seven years with he excep-
ton Of the ones at Ross and Lakota
which were discontinued in the years
of 1910 and 1911 respectively.
Six more farms were located In the
spring of 1907, al Flaxton, Darlington.
Sanborn, Page, Larimore n Bathgate
respectively. Four of these farms
have run for a period Of six years.
Eight more farms were located In
the spring of 1903. They were locat-
ed at Rugby, Starkweather, Portland
junction, Hoople, Wahpeton, James
town. Hazelton and WaShburn respec-
lively. Four more farms were put in
to operation in the spring of 1910, To-
Gated at Mcleod, Dawson, Cakes and
Mohall.
? lnA IdTIu dI ldALbIL wa ulSNOAA
tinued in the spring of 1911 n an
other took it's place at that point.The
same is true of Page; the farm was
discontinued in the spring Of 1912 and
a new one located at Ayr. The one
was discontinued at Lakota and a new
one at Bartlett in the same county. Up
to date, the station has accurate in
formation of all the details of the work
in connection with 619 fields of wheat,
oats, barley, corn, rye, oats and peas,
clover, etc, grown in rotation besides
several fields of alfalfa and other crops
which have not been grown in regular
rotation.
Methods of Locating and Operating.
These farms have been invariably
located in the counties where the peo-
pie themselves have desired one of
these farms. They are put in the
hands of a farmer whom the people
of the community recommend as a good
farmer and are as near the average
land as It is possible to obtain. No
better land is selected than the aver
age in the community, because results
would not then be entirely comparable
with what the community would be
able to produce: neither is the poorer
land selected in the district, as then
the results would not be as good as
the people could get on average land
In the community.
These farms are worked entirely by
the farmer who has charge of them.
the experiment station only giving the
directions as to how the work shall be
done. And at all times the farmer is
consulted in regard to these directions.
Very rarely are instructions given
which the owner of the land cannot
approve. The farmer or manager in
charge of a farm uses his own ma
chinery and horses and does all the
work connected with the operation of
the farm.
Most Of these farms have a five year
citation which consists of the follow
ing crops in the order named: Corn,
fife wheat, oats or rye, oats and peas,
and m~acaronI wheat. The corn is
used as a cultivated crop. This crop
helps to clean up weeds, saves moist
ure and put the land in good condition
for the small grains that follow. Three
of the fields out Of the five are in
small grain, two of those are in wheat
which are strictly marketable crops
and one is in oats and rye which may
be either marketed or kept on the farm
as the farmer sees At. The first field
is in oats and a which is used fol
hay in preference to oats and peas
but the rotations always consist OF
these three types Of crops-cultivateC
crops, small grain or marketable crops
which are soil robbers to a greater OF
less extent, and the hay crop which
helps to I'LL the soil full of roots and
bind it together. In the hay crop we
always aim to have n OF the legumes
such as peas or clover, which are soil
enrichers as they have the power to
take the nitrogen from the air and
place it inthe soil.
Prof. Cyril @. Hopkins Of Illinois is
reported to have said at the dry farm
ing congress which met at Lethbridge
recently: IF an experimenter comes
. to you with one years results give
him but very little thought as one
years results can be Of practically nc
value: if he Games to you with three
or four years results which are con
sistent. give him a little consideration
he nay have something of value tC
you; IL he comes to yOu with six oil
seven years results. pay heed to what
he says, he probably has something
that is of great value to you, If you car
adapt it to your conditions. If he
comes to you with ten years consist,
ent result, listen to him, he has
something of great economic impor.
tance. Make use of it in your farm.
ing operations if o can"
Twenty Years of Results.
The North Dakota Experiment sta,
stion now has twenty years of consist.
ent results in crop rotation which haV,
been published IN bulletin No. 100
which can be obtained by any one per
son by simply addressing the expert
ment station.
On the state demonstration farm
only six n seven years results II
the oldest series of farms put in oper,
alton can be given, therefore consist
ent results merit our respectful con
sideration, particularly as they coin
eide very closely with those which
have been obtained at the main sta.
fion at Fargo for a period of some,
thing like twenty years.
The yields Of wheat have beer
greatly increased by rotation of crop
as outlined above. In 1906 the stat,
averaged 10 bushels to the acre, tn,
demonstration farms averaged 211
bushels. In 1907 the state averaged i
bushels, the demonstration farms 11@
bushels. In 1908 the state average
al $40 bushels, the demonstration
farms averaged 1874 bushels II
1909 the state averaged 13 ITO bush
10 ITO bushels. In 1910, a very poo
year, the state averaged but 5 busheI
while the demonstration farms aver
aged s LILO bushels. In 1911 the stat
avraged s bushels, the demonstrate
farms averaged IL Ito bushels. II
1912 the state averaged Is bushels an,
the demonstration farms averaged 2
bushels of wheat to the acre. Or dur
'pg this period of seven years the stat
has an average II 1-3 bushels pc
acse and the state demonstratioi
farms have averaged il 2-10 bushel
OF wheat per acre.
Cost Per Acre.
1t probably costs about ten busheI