The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-10-12
EFFECT OF MANURE is FELT
FOR NINE YEARS

Yields of corn and grain have been
increased from 10 to 100 percent
with a consequent decrease in cost OF
production through the use Of manure
on farms of the Armenia 4 Sharon
Land Company during the past nine
wears, according to A. E. Cure, farm
superintendent for the company.
'In 1913 one-half Of an eighty-five
acre field was we'll manured," relates
Mr.. Cure. "The entire field was fall
plowed and from then on handled the
same. In 1914 corn was planted on
the entire field and the MANFRED part
yielded fifteen bushels more corn to
the acre than the unmanured part: In
1915 the entire field was sown to bar
ley and the MANFRED part yielded
nine bushels more to the acre than
the unmanured part. In 1916 the
MANFRED part of the field yielded five
bushels more Of wheat to the acre
than the unmanured part. The crops
even up to the present time show up
better on the MANFRED part Of the
field than on the unmanured, although
no manure has been placed on the
field since 1918.
"Section Is was the home farm OF
the Armenia and Sharon Land Com
pany and has always been manfred.
All the manure from the horse barn
has been spread on this farm and in
addition the manure from the sheep
barn, where from two to SIX thousand
sheep were fed every winter for a
number of years. For the past eight
or ten years from $50 to $50 ewes
have been kept on the farm. The
sheep were sold two years ago and at
the present time about one hundred
head of cattle are handled. In 1917
a carload of heifers was purchased on
the South St. Paul market. This car
load consisted of q head Of common
cows showing Shorthorn breeding. In
1918 an additional Is head were pur-
chased at South St. Paul. A first
class Shorthorn bull is used and the
steer calves fed for the market as
two-year-ods. The heifer calves have
been kept to increase the herd and
they have just started to Gull out the
females, two of the poorest being sold
last year. Several COWS have been
sold from the herd as milk cows, two
of them bringing 500 last year.
In 1921 the corn crop on Section %
yielded 60 bushels to the acre. In
1922 the average wheat yield on this
farm was % bushels, the average
yield Of barley was so bushels and of
oats, 80 bushels. We have a good
corn crop on the farm this year, al
though it has not yet been harvested.
However, a good crop of silage is be-
ing put up.
''The yields this year on this farm
are no doubt more than double the
yields on other company farms where
the crop rotation practiced is little,
if any, different. Possibly a little
better farming has been practiced on
this farm, but no better than should
be practiced on every Cass County
farm. The practice Of packing the
soil after the pillow in the fall has
been followed for a good many years
and early fall blowing has been prac.
ticed wherever possible. This has re-
suited in much wild oats and Other
weeds such as pigeon grass being
killed out. The farm is very clean
being practically free from wild oats
pigeon grass and other noxiou:
weeds. The land is given light disc
ing as early as possible in the spring
followed by lots Of narrowing, thu
land being narrowed four or five
times in the spring before the crop i:
sown."