American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1914-05-28
METHODS OF TILLAGE
RESULTS GIVEN FROM NORTH
OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS.
Superiority OF Fall Plowed Land
Proved Invariably by at Least One
Bushel Increase Per Acre-Ma-
nuring ls Also Good.

10 Ah6 OAA II
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 vas 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 $4.77 less profit. On spring
plowed, 1t was even more marked, be-
ing 81 bushels less, and $5.77 less
profit. By means of extra tillage on
fall plowed and spring plowed land,
we get the following: On fall plowed,
four extra borrowings and one rolling
gave "a bushels more wheat than the
ordinary treatment, and 5000 more
profit. On spring plowed land, one
s~ub-surface packing, n rolling and
two borrowings, gave 2.5 more bush
els than the ordinary treatment, and
$1.Ol more profit. 1t pays to work
the land. These results are from the
North Dakota station. At Oklahoma
similar results have been obtained, but
they are here even more marked. Here
early and late fall blowing 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
of the adjoining fields plowed in
September gave 1858 bushels per acre.
Manuring is also good, as MANFRED
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 n
plot MANFRED and another not. Ma
nured plot yielded 30.6 bushels per
acre, unmanured IL bushels per acre.
At the North Dakota experiment sta
ton shallow blowing gave u bushel
less per acre and 20 cents less profit
on fall blowing, 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. S~ub-soiling gave
a little better yield but it did not pay
for the extra cost Disk blowing gave
the best results in a large series OF
experiments the first year, but later
it dwindled away rapidly. Rolling
with a smooth roller after sowing, gave
IL bushels more per acre and So
cents more profit. Next veal there was
an increase of rs per cen on fall
plowed land and a decrease of % per
cent on spring plowed land. This
phenomenon is not explained. Wheat
rolled and narrowed just after sowing,
and her narrowed again as the wheat
was coming up gave two bushels in
crease in yield and 72 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.
1t was computed that n inch OF
rain would make two bushels Of wheat
under favorable conditions, SC 1t is
readily seer hat 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, OIL July Gath, corn
land and cultivated fallow land con.
tanned more water by nearly three
inches in the first three feet Of soil,
thar wheat land.
This same land, IN 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 corr
ground two inches. Standing water
was also two feet lower in wheat land
than in corn land. This, however
became re-adjusted later on. so 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 I'm ~cultivating, shall
low cultivation early and later. is pre-
ferable to the opposite. The Kansas
station a number Of years g 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 1t was
very wet eason and there was little
difference in yield There was also
the objection that nothing but the
large shoveled cultivator was used anc
no tillage carried on after the corr
was too high for the ordinary cult
vator.
Another interesting experiment was
with 35 acres of barley which was
dsyfdad into five ~gpvan-acre plots. Al