The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1914-09-10
NECESSITY OF FALLOW
QUESTION NO LONGER pEBATA
BILE IN GRAIN SECTIONS
When Properly Prepared and Cared
for II Enables Settler to Store In
Soil Large Amount Of Moisture
keep Weeds Down.

In eastern Colorado, Wyoming. Utah.
Idaho. Oregon and Washington and
parts Of Montana, districts Of very low
rainfall. usually less than fifteen
inches annually. rs per cent OF which
falls during late autumn. winter and
early spring months. and large per
cent OF which is snow. the importance
OF the summer fallow is no longer de-
batable. says Denver Field and Farm.
1t is known to be an absolute neces-
sity to profitable grain farming, ard
undoubtedly win continue to be so
long as wheat growing remains the
basic dry farm crop. or until drought
resistant and early-maturing strains OF
inter-tilled crops, such as corn. alfalfa.
Canada peas. Mexican beans, potatoes,
sorghums, ETC., can be discovered or
developed to take the place OF the fall
er operating in this region is moisture.
In years Of abundance of rainfall like
the present one crops are usually good,
no matter what system has been fol-
lowed.
Profitable crops are produced In
such years even when wheat has been
stubbled In after wheat, but In dry
years such practise results In failure
and the country is condemned because
1t is too dry to produce crops. when In
reality the fault is not with the coun-
try but with the man. It has been
thoroughly demonstrated that the
summer fallow when properly pre-
pared and cared for enables the set
tier to store in the soil large amount
Of the moisture of two years precipita-
tion for the production of one crop and
through its use profitable crops can
usually be grown, even in years of the
most extreme drought. Although the
summer fallow enables one to produce
bigger yields during favorable years
than is possible by any other system
of farming its real merits are only
brought out in dry years.
Summer fallow or summer tillage
consists in plowing the land thorough
ly to a good depth, seven inches or
even deeper, either in the fall or in the
conditions and the disposition of the
farmers time will permit, and leaving
II lie over during the summer In culti-
waited condition free from vegetation
OF any kind until seeding time In the
fall. The deep plowing facilitates the
storing of summer rains and the sur
face cultivation checks It's evaporation
from the soil until 1t can be utilized
by the growing crop. Weeds, volun-
teer grain or any form of vegetation
must not be allowed to grow on the
fallow, because they drink from the
land as much moisture as a crop Of
wheat. Farming in the dry sections is
very exacting II profitable crops are
| produced. The country is all right IL
the natural advantages are intelligent
ly utilized.
In very large measure the settler
can control these by proper methods OF
farming and the summer fallow be-
longs in this category because it is the
best known way of utilizing the scanty
supply of precipitation. There is one
possible way In which farmers operat-
ing under low annual precipitation
can produce profitable crops Of wheat
every other year without the use of
the fallow, and that is by the substitu-
tion OF inter-tilled crops for the fallow.
BY the growing Of such crops as corn,
sorghums, potatoes, Canada peas. Mex
lean beans, etc, the land can often be
made to produce profitable titled crops
and at the same time put the soil in
fair condition for wheat
\ The main drawback to such sys
tenn at this time lies In the fact that
most Of the inter-tilled crops now avail
able are not very droughtresistant and
are late maturing--too late for the
short growing season common to the
semi-arid lands. Usually, too, such
crops cannot be removed from the
land In season to plant winter wheat
at the proper time. In order to insure
profit by utilization Of inter-tillet
crops in rotation with wheat. 1t will
be necessary to discover or develop
more hardy, drought-resistant. early
maturing varieties. but these are grad
ually coming in and we expect to SEE
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