The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-06-18
METHODS OF TILLAGE
RESULTS GIVEN FROM NORTH
OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS.
Superiority OF Fall PIowed Land
Proved Invariably by at Least One
BusheI Increase Per Aere-Ms-
nurine 10 Also Good.


great crop Of Iowa The results given
are from North Dakota. Oklahoma
and Kansas.
In experiments with fall vs. spring
plowed land, the results invariably
prove the superiority OF the fall plowed
land by at least one more bushel per
acre.
The Campbell system, or the inter
tillage system was not found at all
practical. for the crops were less and
the expense high. On fall plowed
land, the yield was 6h bushels less
and S4.77 less profit On spring
plowed, II was even more marked, be-
ing S% bushels less, and f5.77 less
profit BY means of extra tillage on
fall plowed and spring plowed land.
we get the following: On fall plowed,
four extra harrowings and one rolling
gave 3.4 bushels more wheat than the
ordinary treatment, and S2.02 more
profit On spring plowed land. one
sub-surface packing, one rolling and
two harrowings, gave 2.5 more BUSH
els than the ordinary treatment, and
$1.01 more profit II pays to work
the land. These results are from the
North Dakota station. At Oklahoma
similar results have been obtained, but
early and late fall plowing entered
more thoroughly into the test, and the
early plowed land gave the better re-
suits, on account of the increased till
age holding more moisture, and kill
ing weeds better. Land plowed In
July at Oklahoma yielded 23.1 bush
els per acre OF wheat, while that OF
one OF the adjoining fields plowed in
September gave 1858 bushels per acre.
Manuring is also good, as manured
plats at Oklahoma yielded 27.5 bush
els per acre against 14.5 on unma-
nured land which had grown wheat
continuously for seven years, and one
plot manured and another not Ma
nured plot yielded 800 bushels per
acre, unmanured IL bushels per acre.
At the North Dakota experiment sta
ton shallow piowing gave u bushel
less per acre and 20 cents less profit
on fall plowing, and one bushel less
and 40 cents less profit on spring
| plowed. The sub-surface packer gave
"a cents more profit per acre on both
fall and spring plowed land. Harrow
ing right after blowing gave 46 cents
more profit per acre. Sub-soiling gave
a little better yield but 1t did not pay
for the extra cost. Disk plowing gave
the best results in large series Of
experiments the first year. but later
It dwindled away rapidly. Rolling
with a smooth roller after sowing, gave
| 1.2 bushels more per acre and 6S
cents more profit Next year there was
! an increase OF rs per cent on fall
plowed land and a decrease of 22 per
cent on spring plowed land This
phenomenon is not explained. Wheat
rolled and narrowed just after sowing
and then narrowed again as the wheat
was coming up gave two bushels in
crease In yield and 70 cents In profit,
on spring plowed land. In 1899 yield
was increased 2.5 bushels by harrow
ing when the wheat was six inches
high. 1t also took less water for this
plot.
It was computed that one inch OF
|
under favorable conditions, 80 1t is
readily seen that the increased till
age is simply a saving Of water.
Rotation Of crops is valuable. Wheat
land gave seven bushels OF wheat per
acre while adjoining corn land gave
rs bushels wheat after potatoes yielded
| "a bushels, and fallowed land. 29 BUSH
els. The same year, on July oath, corn
land and cultivated fallow land con-
tained more water by nearly three
inches in the first three feet Of soil,
than wheat land.
This same land, on November 18th,
after IL inches OF rain had fallen in
August, September and October, was
tested for moisture and found as fol-
lows: Summer fallowed land con-
tanned over three inches more avail
able water than wheat land. and corn
ground two inches. Standing water
was also two feet lower In wheat land
than in corn land. This, however.
became re-adjusted later on, 80 there
was no noticeable difference in crops
of succeeding years. There are few
experiments in regard to tillage OF
corn, but Illinois and North Dakota
have shown that in cultivating. shall
low cultivation early and later, is pre-
ferable to the opposite. The Kansas
station number of years ago tried
an experiment with tillage on corn. by
different number Of times of cultivat-
ing, ranging from two to six. The ex.
| pertinent was satisfactory as II was a
very wet season and there was little
difference in yield. There was also
the objection that nothing but the
large shoveled cultivator was used and
no tillage carried on after the corn
was too high for the ordinary culti-
vator.
Another interesting experiment was
with 35 acres OF barley which was
divided into five seven-acre plots. All
were plowed and received various
treatments prior TO the seeding. ] can
/ 4,,.s ~