The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1914-06-26
METHODS OF TILLAGE
HeSUlTS GIVEN FROM NORTH
OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS
superiority OF Fall Piowed Land
Proved Invariably by At Least One
Bushei Increase Per Acre-Ma-
nur1no 10 Also Good.

Data is rather hard to obtain and none
could be secured bearing OF corn. the
great crop of Iowa. The results given
are from North Dakota. Oklahoma
and Kansas
In experiments with fall VS. spring
piowed 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
uiiage system was not found at all
practical. for the crops were less and
the expense high. On fall plowed
land, the yield was 61a bushels less
and $4.77 less profit. On spring
plowed 1t was even more marked, be
ing S4 bushels less, and $5.77 less
proft. BY means of extra tillage on
lail plowed and spring plowed land
we get the following: On fall plowed
Tour extra borrowings and one rolling
gave "a bushJs more wheat than the
| ordinary treatment, and $202 more
| profit. On spring plowed land. one
sub-surface packing, one rolling and
TWO borrowings, gave 25 more bush
els than the ordinary treatment, and
$l,01 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 231 bush.
els per acre of wheat, while that of
one OF the adjoining fields plowed in
september gave 1873 bushels per acre
Manurlng Is also good, as MANFRED
plats at Oklahoma yielded 275 bush.
els per acre against 145 on unma
nured land which had grown wheat
continuously for seven years, and one
plot MANFRED and another not Ma
nured plot yielded 306 bushels per
acre. unmanured 10 bushels per acre.
AT the North Dakota experiment sta
ton shallow blowing gave ~ bushel
less per acre and % 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 Sub-soiling gave
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
1t dwindled away rapidly. Rolling
with smooth roller after sowing, gave
IL bushels more per acre and IS
cents more profit. Next year there was
an increase of 7.5 per cent on fall
plowed land and a decrease of 20 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 ~ 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 one inch Of
rain would make two bushels OF wheat
under favorable conditions, so 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 20 bush
els The same year, on July Gath, corn
land and cultivated fallow land con
tanned 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, 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 In cultivating, shall
low cultivation early and later, is pre-
ferabie to the opposite. The Kansas
station a 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 1t was
very wet season and there was little
difference in yield. There was also
the objection that nothing but the
large shoyeled cultivator was used and
no tillage carried on after the corn
was too high for the ordinary cult
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.
not recall just what these were. but
l. 49,