Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-07-17
ANNUAL REPORT
Of STATE FARMS
Interesting Data Gathered From
Report Of Superintendent
w. r. Porter.
GOOD CROP YIELD
FROM ALL FARMS
Year 1914 Was Only Average
Growing Year Demonstration
Farms Show.

H...r .-------
w. r. Porter, superintendent Of the
state demonstration farms, has pre-
pared his annual report for the year
1914.
The following data and information
is taken directly from the report OF
Supt. Porter:
The growing season o: 1914 was
no better than the average growing
season in North Dakota. There was
little snow during the winter Of 1913
and 1914 over the greater part of the
state. The winter Was mild. the cold
est weather occurred during the
month Of February, consequently
there was little winter killing OF per-
ennial plants. such as alfalfa. The
first six weeks OF the growing season
following April |, were rather cold.
The seed for the most part was put
in a good seed bed, but the soil was
rather dry. Favorable showers start
ed the crops we'll. In the middle OF
May the weather became warmer than
usual and the corn made an eXtraor-
binary good growth from the start.
Over most of the state June was a
very wet month and rather high tenn
peratures prevailed, This resulted in
forcing the crops ahead rapidly--a
great deal of wheat was headed by
the 4th of July. July was an unfa.
vorable month, as little rain fell ex
cept in the northwestern part of the
state, and the temperatures were high
particularly during the latter third of
the month. This resulted in shrivel-
ed wheat in the western part Of the
state. Black rust was bad in the east.
ern part of the state, consequently
the grade of wheat in 1914 was not
as good as it has been in many of the
past seasons. The weather during
August and September was also very
warm, which forced the corn ahead
rapidly. During the last third Of Au.
gust, however, the temperature was
! low and frost occurred In a, few sec
tons of the state. September and
October were warm months. No kill
ing frosts occurred over most Of the
state until mid-Octobcr. The rainfall
during the fall season was much be
low normal. The soil went into the
winter in a dry condition, there bel
ing but little water stored in it fo1
use Of the 1915 crops. This is par
ticularly true Of land that was in corn
where water is usually stored to {
considerable extent. The corn, re
manned green SO long and the temper
ature remained 81 high that a grea,
deal Of water was transpired from
the leaf surface. consequently the
soil in corn fields was in many case:
drier the latter part OF October than
in adjoining stubble fields. So
Demonstration Crops.
All the wheat grown on the Dem
s%astration farms averaged 1896 Sush
elS per acre. Wheat was produced
an 43 fields. Hard wheat was grown
On 80 Of these and gave ar average
yield Of 1858 bushels per acre. The
durum wheat averaged 1916 bushels
The average for tho state. according
to the United States Department OF
Agriculture, Bureau of StatisticE
was ll.2 bushels per acre. The dem
o%nstration farms yield is so per cent
above the average yield for the state
This is practically what has been oh.
tanned above the average yield Of the
state for a period OF nine Years. BY
means Of crop rotation and coed till.
age between 60 and 70 per cent bet
ter yields can be obtained per acre
than where continuous wheat is
grown. The oats yielded on an aver
age 51.35 bushels per acre.. Farley
did not do very much better than
wheat, yielding only 1854 bushels
per acre. Winter rye grown on three
fields was a profitable crop, the av
erage yield of shelled corr was 1914
bushels per acre and the average
yield of stover was 1854 pounds per
acre. Where the corn was cut for
fodder the average yield Of fodder was
4,048 pounds per acre. Alfalfa was
grown on five fields, two of these
were started this year, consequently
no yields were obtained from them
but from the three remaining fields
S,1G6 pounds of hay per acre was har
vested. The yields obtained at Nc
Leod are not given in the above ave.
ages, as that farm is a peculiar and
special one.
Summary Of Report.
The experiments with winter wheat
have been continued with 'practicall,
the same results as in former years
These experiments will be discontil.
ued this year, as they have now def,
nitely shown during the past six years
that winter wheat is altogether too
tender a plant to be planted in any
crop rotation system or in any gen.
eral farming projects in the state Of
North Dakota. III
Medium red clover and timothy
made good pasture and hay plants in
the eastern part OF the state. They
are not we'll adapted to the central
and western parts of the state.
Alfalfa is doing particularly well
throughout the Red River valley,
where the drainage is good. It is al
SO we'll adapted to every county in
the western part of the state. In
western North Dakota it needs to be
seeded much thinner and it needs
thorough cultivation every year,
whether it is sown in rows or sown
broadcast. The production Of alfalfa
seed of the Grimm cariety promises
large results. North Dakota may be.
come n of the leading alfalfa seed
producing states.
The crops and yields fol-. each OF
the two previous years are given in