The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-04-12

"-'.'., srHE WEEKLY TIMES. REco
strated that the cereals, except rye,
can not be relied on, buckwheat is a
crop of considerable importance. The
acreage could we'll be increased, es-
pecially in portions of New York,
pennsylvania, and New England,
! where the crop now is grown to con-
siderable extent.
Flax For New Ground
Though flax is not primarily a food
crop, the cake remaining when oil is
expressed from the seed constitutes an
important element in the dairy food
supply. Its increased use in this way
would release other grain products for
use as food. AS a crop peculiarly
adapted to newly broken land in the
spring wheat states where it is chiefly
grown, the acreage of fax should be
increased to the greatest extent DOS
sible.
Expand the Corn Acreage .
Corn is the leading food and feed
crop of the United States in geograph-
ic range of production, acreage and
quantity of product. The vital i'm.
portance of a large acreage of this
crop properly cared for, therefore, is
obvious. Because of the prices OBJ
tanned for the last crop and the world
demand for this grain, it's profitable
ness to the American farmer during
the approaching season is clear. The
O5,954,O00 acres planted to corn in
1916 yielded 2,5S3,000,OOO bushels or
more than 4O0,OOO,O0O bushels less
than the large crop of 1915-2,994,79 1884,
900 bushels-and considerably less
than the five-year average-2,732,457,-
900 bushels. Conditions now warrant
the planting of the largest acreage of
this crop which it is possible to
handle effectively.
Although fall is the proper time for
breaking sod for corn, there are many
unproductive and foul meadows and
indifferent pastures in Illinois, Indiana.
Ohio, and the middle Atlantic and
northeastern states that, under exist
Ing conditions can be broken now to
advantage and planted to corn. The
resulting reduction of hay and pasture
would be more than replaced by the
corn slower, ensilage, and grain pro-
duced. Corn as cultivated crop has
been found we'll suited to replace sum-
mer following in portions of Washing
ton, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and
Montana, the forage and grain produc-
ed not materially reducing the sue
ceeding grain crops.
| Plant Early and Reduce Risk
"Earliness of maturity, other factors
being equal, is advantageous in the
case of practically all grain crops.
relatively early maturing varieties
should be selected where possible, and
the planting should be done at the
earliest suitable date. With the small
grains an advance of three or four
days in stage OF maturity frequently
saves crop from serious damage by
rusts. With corn similar advantage
is obtained by early maturity when
severe droughts are encountered and
when killing frosts occur toward the
end of the season. Corn grown on the
rich bottoms which constitute the best
corn lands often is damaged by tenn
porary overflow. If corn has an early
start, however, it usually will attain
a size which will make it possible to
withstand overfows with less damage.
Early paintings of corn if somewhat
damaged by food or frost, can be re-
planted even second Or third tins
with profit, if seed of early maturing
varieties is secured in advance of the
time when needed. %E
cowpeas and Soy Beans Valuable For
Food +
1.-The usefulness of cowpeas and soy
beans as human food has been recog-
nized only recently in this country.
Existing conditions warrant the plant
ing of all the available seed of var
ieties known to do we'll in the several
sections. The soy bean, in particular,
has proved sufficiently resistant to
cold in spring and to adverse wealth
er during summer to warrant heavy
planting. especially throughout the
south.
Potatoes and Vegetables
seed potatoes should be conserved
by planting on the best lands available
for them and planting for thorough
: tlllage and protection of the crop
against disease and insect pests. Po-
, tatoes can be grown most advantage
. ously near the centers of population
in the northern states where transpor-
tation cost may be reduced to mini
mum. This crop is capable of quick
and large increase of production when
conditions are favorable. There is,
however, considerable risk of unprof-
liable production OF potatoes when
they are grown at long distances from
the consuming markets, owing to their
disproportionate weight and bulk of
:, the product in comparison with the
, cereals. y.
"Such vegetable crops as carrots,
rutabaga, turnips, onions, and cabbag-
es are worthy of much more attention
, than they generally receive, especial
ly in the eastern United States. All
these crops are capable of large pro-
duction on suitable land under inten-
, sive culture throughout the more
densely populated portions of the coun-
try. The supply of seed is ample and
their culture relatively simple. The
holding of these vegetables for the
winter food supply is. relatively easy
where suitable inexpensive pits, cellars
; or lofts are prepared in time. The
practicability of quickly drying vege-
tables for longer preservation was
demonstrated on a large scale last
year in western New York, where
quantities were dried in the available