The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-10-21

volunteer plants growing on the land
Evaporation can be effectively les
soned by creating and maintaining
soil mulch-a loose layer of dry
lumpy soil on the surface of the felt
through which moisture escapes very
very slowly. The loss of moisture
through the growth of weeds can BIZ
controlled by killing the weeds wher
they are small.
Getting additional moisture intC
old fields is a more difficult problem
than keeping in what may be already
there. Our autumn, winter and spring
seasons are dry. In the sever
months, from September to March
inclusive, only about one-third of the
years precipitation falls, and a large
portion of this is in the form of snow
and therefore not easily controlled.
1t must be apparent to all that a re
ceptive surface soil that is one loose
on top as a result of surface cult
walton or ploughing, is likely to alb
sorb more of the fall and spring
| showers and the melted snow than
an untitled field, particularly on I'M
dulating or rolling ground.
To prevent the run off" plough
ing would seem preferable to sur
face cultivation or no cultivation,
and no cultivation and fall ploughing
should prove better than spring
ploughing. But the "stubble holds
snow" and "fall ploughing dries
OUT" If in ploughing to store mois-
ture in the soil we lose some that is
already there, what is the net result?
Weeds
Weed seed on the surface of stub
BILE fields are a nuisance, not only to
the CROP Immediately following, but
the farm as a business concern If
they are left to take their own course
they seldom terminate until spring
and then the plants generally mature
and drop their heads before harvest
time. Incidently they use up tons of
moisture, lessen the yield of the crop
and increased the cost of cutting,
shocking, threshing and marketing it.
Most of these are ANNALS that die
when subjected TO low temperature
of winter. Obviously, they ought to
be encouraged by some form of cul-
tivation to terminate in the fall. In
any case, fall cultivation induces a
greater spring termination and n
us to kill the young plant by
subsequent cultivation.
1t is regrettable that in dry falls
the seed of the annual weeds can be
only with difficulty; but BIZ
ennial weeds can be completely on
trolled through surface cultivation.
The perennial plants are serious
in many stubble fields. They
spread not only seeds but by under
ground creeping root stocks. These
weeds can not be controlled by burn
ng discing, or other surface cult
Example: Canadian thistle,
sow thirstle and fan weed.
The Seed Bed
A good seed bed is one that pro-
rides that condition necessary for
termination, head, air and moisture
n opium amounts, at the right depth
It the time the seed is sown. Too
,ften the surface of our field is too
lard to get the seed into or too dry
o cause termination or covered with
hubble through which the drill can
lot satisfactorily force the seed. The
soil can be made more mel
wv by surface cultivation or by
'l%onghing; the moisture content can
e more or less controlled by the
anne means.
Importance of Available Plant Food
All of the plant food in a soil can
OF be drawn by the growing OF a
rop. Since plants drink" their food
is clear that only that portion of
ne fertilizing constitutes in the soil
nat becomes soluble can be used by .
1t is a wise provision of ma
Ire that only a very small portion of I
lie total plant food in a soil becomes {
valuable or soluble in a rear, other |
Use the present holders of land {
onld quickly dissipate its stores of I
ealth and succeeding generations @
ould starve. The agencies causing
le breaking down of plant food con-
ituents in the soil are more or less 0