The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-09-29
Summer Fallow Would Make Montana

7 don't owe any banksI have some money in the bank"
And this is Juy-and everything is paid for and you made it here
on this farm since 1916, one good year only"
Il know; but you ought to be willing to sacrifice your personal feel
ings for the cause. Why don't your neighbors do likewise7"
Il don't know. One of them does. His land is better than mine
He has a better crop"
-Four miles over there" He pointed to a green spot in the brown
distance.
Since that memorable July ninth the secretary has known that the
summer fallow plan is the plan. Seeing is believing. One crop in fifty
miles travel-effectve argument!
If every farmer and business man in Montana could have seen It'll
Offcial. returns reached the office today. Hull threshed from 10
acres 2,4o bushels, an average of 2A bushels
We talk and talk-the farmers talk and talk-business men talk and
t ak h P 5gFieptu G1o S0leg &C. talks and It taIsS and nd dem0nstrates-and
But the summer fa1low club idea would make them believe.
The business men can make the sunmer fallow club idea effective
in every county in Montana.
What Harlem Did
Club. There business men and farmers got together and had some big
to assist the farmers who joined the club with extended credits. The.
farmers agreed to summer fallow properly. Four thousand acres were
When spring came the members Of the club went out on an inspec-
ton Of the fields. Business men and farmers went around together to
see the effects of the work. A maj with a fortyfour inch soil auger
made the tests and all the members of the big party saw the results
Their eyes opened wide business men and farmers alike, for the
farmers had never made such tests before. This is what they found.
Moisture at A Inches
In rs fields where the blowing for the summer following was done
early, where the fields were worked right down, and where the weeds
were kept entirely or almost entirely off, the tester was either unable to
find any dry dirt with his auger, which was A inches long, or found
it at depths of from SO to 40 inches.
In eight fields where the blowing was either later, or the weeds were
allowed Ito grow more, or the JOB OF blowing was not good, the moisture
was not SO deep, but was down to about IS to % inches,
In other fields where the blowing and summer-falowng was good,
ting down to the bottom of the moisture because of the presence of
gravel or rock, through which the soil auger would not go. The
in each case was wet as far as the gravel. These cases really belong
with the first Is tests, and this means that at least 80 tests out of the
S. where the summer following was well done.
In four fields that were tested the summer following operations
proved to be a failure, but the record of these fields show conclusively
no other result could be expected. These fields we're plowed at
various times during the spring months, and were allowed to grow up
to weeds. The heavy weed growth used all of the moisture, none was
stored over last winter, and at the time that the tests were made the
moisture present was this springs. In these fields the moisture
showed up the same as in sod or less than in old stubble, because
he stubble caught and held snow during the winter months.
Ten Were Failures
In ten fields tested, the results were such that the summer following
operations were wasted, and here again the record shows that no other
esuhs could have been expected. These fields were all plowed late in
not summer following at all but is merely summer blowing and the
should be drawn between the two. Naturally, these fields
vas already dried out, and it was too late for the weeds to start up
The tests showed that the moisture in these fields was about
or the latter caught snow during the winter months. What moisture
7s present was, of course, new moisture.
The one outstanding result of all these tests was the fact that every
ed that was summer-fallowed early, IF fairly early, that was worked
own at once afterwards, and was kept clean of weeds during the sum
sod. This result was little short Of a revelation. It was a common
emark for the farmer to make, when he was shown these differences,
Corn Proved Not So Good
In the early days of our summer fallow work it was advanced by
that summer-h1led ground would be as productive the following
ear as summer fallowed ground. But we have found out that. moist
tests would not tend to prove it SO. In these tests our Investigators
sted tour pieces OF corn land IN which the corn had been check-roWed
well cultivated the past year. In each case the moisture was down
lily from 10 inches to 20 inches, and in every case the tester could not
nd dry dirt at A inches in well kept summer tallow not over 100 feet
way from corn land.
From the Harlem country reports of excellent yields on summer fl
ground are gradually finding their way into the newspapers OF
e state. Yields of rs bushels in this season which was so unfavorable,
e quite common. Thousands of acres in the Harlem country are pro-
Year the area sunmer-fahowed will be multiplied many times.
he idea got over by a simple plan that any community can carry out
NOW is THE OPPORTUNITY.