Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-05
HARLEM KNOWS
VALUE OF GOOD
TILLACE WORK
Third Year of Trial Brings Re.
suits With Little Rain, Says
r. V. BOttOmley.

Some of the gospel of summer till
age was being preached in Great Falls
Wednesday by r. V. Bottomley of
Harlem, who was a visitor in the city
on business. Bottomley takes a place
as one of the pioneers of summer
tillage club men of the state as first
president of the summer fallow club
organized in Harlem three years ago,
a plan to be followed later by the
Montana Development league cam
paign.
After three years of trial. Harlem
and that vicinity is just beginning to
see the good results of summer till
age, and the entire community is sold
out to the plan, Bottomley said. (,
Not First Year Results
The difficulty with the great sum
mer tillage club work of the Montana
Development league is to be to hold
its members through the first year."
he said. Summer tillage results are
not obtained in the first year. In
fact, it is easy for the farmer trying
the plan to be discouraged by the re-
suits of the first year. There will be
many that will be discouraged and
abandon the plan. There will be some
that will stay with it and study it and
these will win a good reward IN
better crops, | believe.
With us there is no question as to
results from summer tillage. One
rancher had q 500-acre field of wheat
on summer titled ground that averaged
better than Is bushels TO the acre this
year with a rainfall of IL inches dur
ing the season. Across the road from
it on summer titled ground was a
40-acre field of rye that went As bush
els TO the acre. These yields were
more than a third higher than those
of surrounding fields that had not
been summer TILED.
These results have convinced
farmers of the advantages of the plan.
Corn Fields Promising
The district has also corn fields
this season that are mighty promising
and show what car be done on Mon
tana soil even with a minimum of
moisture. Some of these fields of 80
and 40 acres will give a good crop.
we have also tried out with sue
cess a new variety of corn called the
Wild Goose seed, having been obtained
from northern Michigan, where it was
developed and which has come up to
expectations in planting in Montana.
1t is a dent corn and has a good
foliage. Each stalk carries two or
three ears of good size. The advan-
tage of the corn for Montana is that
1t is Of early maturity, in addition to
having other qualities that make it
popular with our farmers.
I'VE believe hat the proper use of
corn in rotation with wheat may take
the place of summer tillage and at the
same time encourage with our farmers
diversification of farming by intro
ducing cattle and hogs TO make the
best use of the corn, both grain and
ensilage.
Have Feeder Stock
The movement of cattle from
Canada this year has been a most
fortunate condition for Harlem and the
valley. Much of the cattle brought
across the border north Of us are
being kept as feeders right there and
should net a good profit to farmers Of
the valley. They bought this feeder
stock in Canada at a good price, con
siderably less than they could have
been obtained in this country. They
provide the right and most economical
use of our feed"
In addition to his interest in better
farming. Bottemly is also an advocate
of better roads and is an officer of
H.