The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-25

We see that the highest yields of
beets and pounds sugar per acre were
obtained by rotating with wheat. These
plots raising beets every other year
provided about one ton more to the
acre and 591 pounds sugar more than
those raising beets every year with
manure. AS they were MANFRED only
every other year. this increase was
obtained with half the quantity of ma
nnre applied to the plots, raising beets
every year.
The beets raised without manure
averaged about five tons less per acre
than those raised with manure every
year. altho their average yield is still
Is tons. or considerably better than
the average of all farms in northern
Colorado. The gross returns of the ma
nured plots are about $27 more per
acre than those OF the unmanured
plots. Even making allowances for the
cost of hauling the extra five tons per
acre, and the cost of manuring, there
remains large sum in favor of the
application of manure.
1t is interesting to note that the ap-
plication of mineral fertilizers in ad-
dition to the manure did not increase
the yield of sugar per acre, which
means that at present persistent ma
nuring supplies all the plant food need
ed by the beets
How much persistent manurng
means can be seen from the following
figures: The plots raising beets after
beets without manure averaged, during
the three years, 1911-1913, 1913 tons
beets per acre; those receiving ma
nure every year averaged 1880 tons, a
difference of 2.67 tons in favor of ma
nuring. During the last three years
the respective yields were 1929 and
vor of manuring, or nearly twice as
much. This shows clearly thatit takes
time to realize the full benefit Of a good
farming system. and also that the
good system must be constantly APP
piled.
notation WIKI wheat.
There are some very practical con-
siderations in favor of alternating
bects regularly with wheat, instead of
raising beets after beets. 1t would al
low fall blowing of all the land to be
used for beets next year. while wheat
after beets needs no blowing.
An S0-acrc farm having 70 acres in
crop could easily raise every year 30
acres alfalfa, 20 acres wheat, 20 acres
beets.
This scheme is. Of course, only ad-
visablc where no potatoes are raised
and where the danger from hail is
small. The objections are that spring
wheat in the last few years has been
subject to failure on account of rust.
Also. sometimes a wet spring has
made it impossible to plant the wheat
on time. 1t is not probable that our
districts having raised magnificent
quality of grain for many years in the
past will be permanently bothered by
rust any more than the potato blight is
permanent institution.
The beet fields to be planted to
grain in the spring also might be left
in better shape during the winter by
rolling down the clods left by the
beet puller. To do this it is necessary
to remove the tops from the field, or
at least to put them up in rows of
piles fare enough apart to allow roller
and teams to pass.
Feeding Suggestions.
A farm Of this size having 30 acres
alfalfa should not need more than 10
acres for the maintenance Of horses, of
a few cows and breed sows and there
fore should have 20 acres. or about 60
tons. Of alfalfa to feed. We may as
*Gross
'on per Per cent Sugar Receipts