The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-03-17
The Place of Summer Tillage

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The Montana Experiment Station
believe that there is a place for more
and better summer tillage in the State,
but that it is not a "cure-all". It will
not give satisfactory returns under
al conditions. For example, there are
places within the State where a rath-
er shallow surface soil is underlaid
with impervious material such as
shale, rock, or a limestone closely &C.
mented together. Where such condi-
tions prevail there is but little oppor-
tunity for the storage of moisture or
the development of roots; hence sum-
mer tillage will give no better returns
than other less expensive methods Of
seeded preparation. Moisture has
been stored by summer tillage to a
depth Of eight or nine feet, but under
average conditions of Montana soil
and climate a storage of from three to
four feet will provide reasonable in
uranc for tiding over the critical
periods of the cropping season.
Sumer tillage at it's best in the
Great Plains is not as Elective in the
storage of moisture as it is in the
Great Basin of the Rocky Mountains.
East Of the divide over one-half of the
annual precipitation occurs during
April, May, June and July-the sea-
son when the loss of moisture by evap-
Grafton is very rapid. West of the
mountains a large part of the moist
ure falls during the winter months
when evaporation is greatly reduced,
making it possible to store a much larg-
err portion of the years precipitation.
Where over so per cent of the annual
precipitation may be conserved by
proper methods of summer tillage in
the Great Basin, the best methods
used in the Great Plains will not store
more than 33 per cent and often much
les.
Success in farming anywhere re-
quires the application of a combina-
ton of good farming practices. Be-
cause Of present conditions any plan
of Investigation must be developed
gradually. Summer fallow should be
made to play an important part in the
general Investigation scheme. It
should be utilized by the dry-land
farmer of Montana, wherever practic-
able, to store and carry over the moisr-
ure Of one season to aid in raising
crops the following season. This, in
combination with the growing of feed
crops, the keeping of live stock to con-
sumo the forage and waste, the pro-
duction of a large amount of the fam
lily food supply on the farm, will do
much toward providing a stable and
more profitable return from the av-
erage dry farm.
Object of Summer Tillage
What are the objects of summer till
age? (1) Storage of moisture from
n season as a reserve and insurance
for the production of crops the fol-
lowing year. (2) Accumulation of a.
valuable plant food, resulting from the
combination of moisture, heat, and air,
the conditions that favor bacterial ac-
ton 81 Control of weeds by clean
and timely cultivation. (4) Better dis
tribution of labor during the year and
more land prepared for seeding at the
proper time.
of Land for Summer TilIage
Should land that is to be summer
titled be disked before blowing? Fall
disking: Stubble ground should be
disked in the fall if moist enough to
start weed growth. Disking is an aid
to subsequent blowing. There is no
advantage in disking if the ground is
very dry. Disking in the fall depends
very largely upon whether power can
be spared for this purpose. Spring
disking: If blowing is delayed it is
worth while to disk early in the spring.
1t is sometimes possible to disk stubble
land that is to be summer titled before
it is possible to work land that is to
be seeded. Disking will hasten the
termination of weed seeds and assists
materially in cleaning the fallow.
Disking should not be taken as an ex-
cuse for delayed spring blowing as
early blowing is more desirable.
Where soil blowing is a problem it is
often good practice to delay blowing
and the disk the land once or twice to
keep down weed growth and to in
crease the receptiveness of the soil
for moisture.
When is the best time to pillow land
that is to be summer titled? Fall
blowing is recommended. Where large
tracts are to be worked, doing part
of the blowing in the fall will prevent
delay in the spring. When there is
moisture in the soil the land can be
plowed more easily. AS farm work is
less rushing and horses are in better
condition, blowing in the fall may also
be done more cheaply. If the land is
dry in the fall and turns up lumpy,
experience tells us that it will be in
poor physical condition for seeding a
spring grain crop; but if it is to be
summer titled the next season, there
will be ample time for the soil to be
put in a good state of filth. The fall
blowing should be left rough over win
ter and then cultivated early the next
spring. This will break up the humps
and prevent evaporation.
There are a few soils which, when
fall plowed. tend to run together badly
or in some instances wash during late
fall and early spring. Obviously such
soils should not be plowed until spring.
In windy districts with light soils it