Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-01-22
BY SYSTEMATIC
CROP ROTATION
Profits {, aiGot On New Salem
Oen3aSt q; IN Farm.
&0|L REnANS IN Coed SHAPE
(By w. r. PORTER, Supt. North Da.
kota Demonstration Farms.)

(By w. r. PORTER, supt. North Da.
kota Demonstration Farms.)
The system that will produce the
largest steady let income per acre
without destroying the soil is what
che average farmer seeks. That strict.
~ grain farming did not pay in the
New Salem district is a fact that any
OF the old settlers will testify to, as
they all grew grain until they had to
do something else or leave the coun-
Try. They started a cooperative
creamery and gradually went into tn
DAIRY business aad now they are
among the most prosperous commune
ties in the state. although they prob
ably do not grow a less number of
bushels OF wheat per acre than when
they grew wheat exclusively, but
where they now Seed wheat is on corn
or cultivated land and the soil is in
better Snaps to hold the moisture be,
cause OF the manure applied, besides
better machinery and cultural methods
generally are used.
In this community in the spring OF
1906 Il Of the first of the North Da.
kota Experiment Station ~demonstra.
ton farms was located on land that
had been in continuous cultivation
since 1883. On this farm there We're
five fields on which the following TO,
tation was commenced: Corn, fife
wheat, oats or winter rye. oats and
peas for hay, and durum wheat were
grown in the order named. One field
was manfred at the rate of ten loads
OF barnyard manure per acre each
year. An exact record was kept Of
hours and full capacity of machines
running at a speed OF two miles per
hour is the basis Of the cost Of opera
tons on this farm. The labor of men
is figured at the same as day labor at
Halstad. Mimi, from 19G2-1907 inclu-
sive, which is 361a per cent higher
than monthly labor at the same place
for the same period. Horse labor was
figured the same as that at Marshall,
Mimi, Whi,h is Ia per cent higher
than at HalStad. Machinery de-
probation is the same for each nipple
ment as that consumed on the average
I on Minnesota farms. Cor the above
data see Mimi. Bul. No. 10 Land
rental is charged at a cost equivalent
TO 3 per cent interest on the value Of
the land when the rotation was COM
menced.
The prices obtained are the local
market for the same grade on Dec. L
each year. Cost of hauling to market,
cost OF picking corn and taxes have
not been figured in, as these are eX-
tremely variable costs.
Every field on the New Salem farm
showed a net profit for the seven
years. The smallest profit is on plot
No. >, a net return of $3.77 per acre,
and the largest on plot No. 4, a net
return Of $500 per acre on practical
~ the same kind Of soil. The soil diff
fers very little on the different fields.
Some crops are always more profit
able than others and when a field hap
pens to have a series of the most
profitable crops it's net earnings run
high, while its neighbor may happen
to have a series of low income crops
and its net income will be correspond
ingly low.
While each field showed a net profit
only five Of the years showed d net
profit for the entire farm, two years
showing q net loss due to prolonged
drouths during the growing season.
The fact that a net profit of SAT- an.
acre was obtained during a seven
year period demonstrates that such a
rotation merits consideration by farm
ers of Western North Dakota.