The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-08-29
@'['. ~. ~ d. - y !JTE& Ea.. =.
ALFALFA and
CORN FIELDS
EDITOR WALLACE OF FARMER"
: VISITED STUTSMAN COUNTY -
SURPRISED AT THE FINE
SHOWING MADE AND INTEREST
TAKEN IN THESE CROPS.

Editor Wallace of The (St. Paul,
Minn.,) Farmer recently paid visit
to- Stutsman county where, in com
pany with Supt. Borchert, he visited
some alfalfa and corn fields in this
vicinity. Of his visit he said in the
last issue of The Farmer:
The editor of The Farmer took n
very great deal of pleasure few
days ago in a flying visit to Stuts-
man, Wells and Ward counties IN
North Dakota, in company with Sec
retary Cooper for the especial pur-
pose Of investigating at first hand
the corn and, alfalfa propaganda. In
cidentally. we learned a great many
interesting facts about what good
farming can do with six inches OF
| rainfall in the growing season, Whlch
facts will be recounted at later
time, In each of these counties the
trial plots of corn and alfalfa num-
| Der well over the hundred mark, and
their successful showing in the pres
ent season of short rainfall in west
ern Dakota leaves no question as 10
| the suitability of these crops Tor the
| northwest, provided that only the pro-
per methods are pursued and the rlSht
varieties and seed used. -,
| In Stutsman county, County Agent
Rorchert has persuaded 125 farmers
! to experiment with alfalfa. Many z
year-old fields are in existence, anu
/ some pioneer growers in this county
/ can show fields 6 and years old, one
i as old as 10 years. The altal1a cam :
4 paign has really just gotten under
! way. however, since County Agent
i Borchert has made a business OF TO-
/ cusing the attention of farmers gen
erally on the experiment. AS re-
suit. many Stutsman county farmers
| have slowed under cover one and one
half tons of alfalfa hay at the first
cutting and one at the second.
Here is Mr. Borchert's formula Tor
alfalfa: First, select land as clean as
possible, preferably in cultivated crop
tha nrevious year, as weeds are the
bane of alfalfa. Prepare the land as
it should be for garden. Repeated
discing and narrowing must not be
spared until one has a firm, mellow
seed bed, with the moisture Where the
seed. is to be germinated. Six POUNDS
OF seed to the acre is sunclent' ana
select preferably the Grimm or at
/ least northern-grown seed. AS to in
oculation,. the commercial cultures
i may Gsbe y used, or dirt from growing
i fields at the rate of fifty to 100 pounds
Y 70 thegacfe. This dirt SHOULD be dried
l in the shade, as sunlight kills the
l''bugs" then sifted, and may be put
in the drill with the seed or broad
casted on the land From May 10 un
til about June seems to be the prop
er time for seeding. The seed is drill
ed in rows six inches apart where the
annual precipitation Is sufhcient. Fol
the seed crop, or in the western hall
of the state, it is preferable to grow
in rows, thirty incnes apart, SO tina
the crop may be cultivated and t.ne nf
: Imoisture thus conserved. The lZl
Z IDIOTS in Stutsman county this veal
may give further information as the
work progresses, but Mr.. Borchert's
ideas are at least showing most salts
factory results this year. $#
A word about corn In Stutsmal
! county. Of first Importance in al
. ncctEern f,:iate of the corn pelt IS w
matter of seed and variety. All or th1'
northern corn belt will. never mak'
!. the rapid progress in corn culture un
til it grows it's own seed. Stutsmai
county is most fortunate In possessing
: a corn enthusiast in J. F. Henderson
Hast year Mr.. Henderson saved l0'
! Ibushels Of seed corn from ms nelds 4
Y the James river valley which he test
ed by ear. All of this seed, which h,
saw growing in the fields, showed
splendid stand and an advanced stat
of maturity of from one week TO tel
days over other northern grown SEED
;; and an earliness of at least two week
over other varieties.
], AS to varieties, Minnesota No. 2s
. sometimes known as White-cap Vel
low Dent, had the lead in maturity
aside from the Mercer, Jehu. and othe
= Flints, with Minnesota No. l3 clos
/, second. Check -rowed corn is by al
. means advisable in this section, bot
!. from the standpoint of weeds and be
: cause drilled corn shows too much
I a tendency to FIRE" in seasons lik
& 1 the prasanf. S5#S