The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-06-15
Planting Catch Crops On
Wheat and Oats Stubbte
by George Bishop in the Oklahoma Farm Journal.

rms seems TO be starting Off like the
eaten crop after wheat oats might make good almost
anywhere
We are not very strong for catch crops for Western Okla
Hoa vi course there Is no of making accurate diyd
my line between the western and parts of the
to crop or farm practices But general proposition the
eaten becomes and risky after you pass
dian 70 gong west These crops largely left the udg
ment and experience of each his own farm being
guided by the conditions favorable otherwise the
approaches for the planting of catch crops.
As the average annual rainfall begins fall below thirty
inches and ITS favorable distribution little uncertain
the best general practice for safe farming from year year
Will be found IN beginning after crop matured
10 get the ground shape not for another the
year but hold Of and keep handy all the rainfall that
Falls until time TO it for another crop But there
years when is catch crop crop ALL and also years
when rainfall regular and abundant that almost any of
lhe kair crops may be planted and have time to mature grain
before frost
Nearly anywhere in Oklahoma and in Texas south Of the
Panhandle, cowpeas, dwarf milo and feerita will mature
grain crop moisture conditions favorable For the north
west we inclined advise the passing up of the catch crop
entirely except IN years when becomes either catch crop
or no crop, as was the many sections in 1911
1t rs wei to keep IN mind the possibilities Of catch crop
ana "haj may be- though to rely upon 1t may not be-
Nay nor possible only several years For the prOduc
uon OF grain for feed nothing have found that
VIII beat Ietena with dwarf milo close second when planted
ON Subble lands OF there are chnch bugs
the kair crops stand any show all make Kacorn
teterta will withstand small army, but milo almost fades
away at the approach of the chinch bug.
For much Of Eastern Oklahoma and particularly the south
eastern part of the state both and advisable TO
the planting of catch crop especially cowpeas on the
subbIe lands There is probability that June squaw
corn might make if everything proved favorable The open
head of fetera II claimed gives advantage milo
ON the east side the weather happens be favorable for the
work OF the sorghum nudge commonly called blasting of the
gram when there spell during the blooming period
but am not prepared to say if this really true.
The location east west should rule determine the
method OF planting and preparation Of soil 1t seldom safe
to pow stnbbe land in the west for planting cowpsas any
of the kars If you have abundant moisture and have an
acreage where spend time in working down
might to pow Surface planting should be done where
the ground has been properly prepared with the pow Moth
ing better for this work than press wheel planter
But rule the planting Of catch crops both west
done with lister going Just deep enough clean the
ground OF such weeds may have up since the harvest
Beginning with 1906 took five successive trials with
cowpeas catch crop wheat stubbe On but of the
1--we do consider that got real catch and this
was due to favorable moisture conditions and not the meth
ods of planting preparing the ground In 1906 listed
about the first of August could get hreshed in time
plant before 1t too late for whppoorwl peas to any
good.
In 1907 hreshed early and plowed fifteen acre field
narrowed down good and planted with planter
An two in sowed broadcast and har
rowed in The whole field made fine growth and lot Of
peas but that the that many wheat shock got green
from sproutcd grain.
In 1908 on part of the field we shocked the wheat in
wide shockrows the long way Of the field Using hole
Fuller and Lee disk drill which heavy drill and can be
set the disks will cut almost like disk harrow we stopped
up all the holes but the second from each end went down
and back the field 1t did nice work we got good
Il
tRr growth but peas except where few backeyes had
got mixed in and they made peas Right there we got our
bearings the variety and decided that the bsckeye all
We needed to make things work so they would pay.
In 1909 had the backye pea and instead of waiting to
shock the wheat rusted teams and fixing the
drill had the year before followed the binder with the
drill This worked fine We got good stand and threshed
the wheat off the field by the time the peas ready to
cultivate We felt that had finally found the combination
But rains failed TO and the peas just lived that's all
In 1910, repeated the process with the same results
We also used twOow planter plant after the binder on
oa ground where the land had been powed before SOW
ing and still soft enough to do good job Of covering
We got good stand cultivated and got about one pod Of
peas to the plant
In 1911 II was too dry to have wheat but we were
done with peas catch crop and felt that experience
sufficient guide draw conclusion about the chances
for catch crops general for this section of cOuntry-We
Oklahoma meridian 49, But if lived where there was
sufficient chance for moisture the plan of following the binder
with the drill good strong one would be the plan would
II every possible minute of time The catch crop
goes into the ground the grain harvested The ground
usually clean and rule has moisture enough 10 start
the catch crop In years when the stubb high like
it will be this year you will have the disk cutivator
to the dirt away from the row the first cultivation
After oats land which powed before planting or on
sandy loan soil careful driver using guide extending to
the edge of the grain do good job with a two.row
planter following the binder The grain shocked il moth
ing had happened but of must be hreshed stacked