Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-10-24
DEMONSTRATION
farms SUCCEED
Great Northern Tracts Show
Number of Interesting
Things About Yields.
BIG
ARE THE RULE
Results from Various Plots
are Reported by Exten-
sion Department.

The threshing returns from farm
ers throughout North Dakota VINO
have been doing demonstration W'rK
under the direction of the Agricul.ar-
al Extension Department of the Great
Northern Railway company, sho"
some very interesting features. These
demonstration plots consist in the
main of four acres. with an additional
acre for checking purposes. n four
acre plot always receives a treatment
in the way of fertilizers. while the
check acre in most cases receive S
nothing but the additional cultivation
that is given the four-acre plot.
In starting these demonstrations
with a farmer, a sample Of the soil is
sem to the head chemist of the extern
sion department Of the company at st.
Paul, from which analysis it can be
readily determined what particular
treatment the farm must receive to
get the best results.
The chemical analysis, in a very
large number Of cases, show a DELI
cheney in phosphate, in a very few the
element of nitrogen is deficient and 1t
is in connection with the use of these
two elements that the experiments
prove the most interesting.
On a tract Of ground at St. Thomas,
with an addition Of phosphate treat
ment, the demonstration plot yield
wal t0.SC paSAlC4Ss LA Nv NiASSn
which received only additional cult
walton yielded 25 bushels, the farmer
on the balance of his barley acreage
had a yield of 25 bushels. the COM
munity yield being estimated at is
bushels per acre. The demonstration
plot received a phosphate treatment
which returned large results.
A like plot at Neche seeded to wheat
Ind treated with phosphate n ma
nure returned 1922 bushels, the check
acre with only manure so bushels,
while the balance of the farm went 2S
bushels and the community IL BUSH
Els.
"A plot at Grafton seeded to barley
returned 1874 with a treatment OF
with manure only applied, 4S.3, the
check acre IL, the balance Of the bar
ley crop went rs bushels with a COM
rnunity yield of II bushels. In this
instance the gain between % bushels
from h farm Inc Al bushels o the
check acre was the result of cultiva-
ton. Another acre was also used as
q check with a manure treatment,
which yielded 1913 bushels. This
demonstration is probably the most
interesting from any viewpoint. the
gain in cultivation alone being re-
markable.
A plot at Churches Ferry seeded to
oats with a phosphate treatment yield
ed 65 bushels with the check acre
treated. with nitrogen and a yield of
81 bushels. while the balance Of the
crop went rs bushels.
"A plot at Hannah with phosphate
and manure yielded 1915. the check
acre lip bushels, while the balance
of the farm Went 10 with a community
Yield Of eight bushels. This increase
may be attributed solely to the phos-
phate and manur treatment.
These instances are a very few tax
en- from the many hundred demon
stration plots hat have been inaugur.
ated by James j. Hill as a result Of
his intense interest in the general de-
velopment Of the northwest and are
being conducted under the eupervi-
.sion OF F.. P. Crane, the agricultural
extension agent of the Great Northern
railway. These experiments have
been under way for the past three sea-
sons and will be continued until all
phases of soil treatment have been
demonstrated thoroughly. So far the
demonstrations have proven very con-
clusively that the nitrogen content Of
North Dakota soil is very high and
that in most instances the phosphate
content is low. The use of barn-yard
n thorough cultivation in
all cases has increased the yield very
materially and solves the problem Of
weed eradication in a very large de.
gree.