The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-05-11
MANIFOLD RETURNS
FROM RAISING CORN
Valued as a Benefit to the Land as
Well as an All-ROund Feed

By JOHN H. WORST, Bismarck, N. D.
, Corn is unquestionably one of the
most profitable crops that can be
grown in the state. Where rotation
Of crops is practiced,it is especially
valuable. In fact cultivated crop,
such as corn, is the most essential
element in a crop rotation. For the
farmer who does not practice crop
rotation, there is little to be said. He
is pursuing a system of farm manage
ment that is doomed to ultimate fail
ure in almost every instance. The
failure may not occur for number
of years, but the system must eventu-
ally end in disastrous failure.
Corn is the most valuable crop, not
only on pccpunt of Vts immediate
money value, but the secondary in
fluence of corn is almost equal to, and
frequently considered of greater value,
than the corn crop itself.
. Economy of Moisture
North Dakota farmers must not lose
sight of the fact that moisture is the
one essential element that cannot be
overlooked. From the time the seed
terminates until harvest, there must
be constant moisture to supply the
needs of every growing plant. Lack
of moisture for single day may i'm
pair the growth Of a plant. INSULT
cient moisture for week will seri-
ously cripple the crop, while couple
of weeks Of drouth may entirely de-
stroy it.
In all countries, therefore, not over
supplied with moisture, crops should
be grown with view of economy of
moisture. I question, moreover,
whether there are many seasons in
North Dakota where the moisture is
insufficient, provided none of it is
wasted or stolen. Where weeds, how
ever, are permitted to grow, drouth
conditions frequently prevail where
otherwise there would be plenty of
moisture. In other words, moisture
stolen by such weeds as wild oats,
mustard, French, weed, ETC., and the
failure to provide soil mulch during
the growing season, leaves insufficient
moisture for the crop; hence we at
tribute drouth to lack Of rainfall when
it should be charged to lack of cult
walton and the presence of weeds. q
In some sections of the state, ac-
cording to reports, on account of wild
oats in the wheat the dockage has
amounted to as much as 80 pounds per
bushel. 1t should be folly to expect
farming to be profitable where weeds
are grown to even fraction Of this
extent. Moreover, men who attempt
to grow wheat in partnership with
weeds will find that the average sea-
son seldom provides sufficient moisture
for both. "
Now the cultivation Of corn is not
only profitable within itself, but tends
to eliminate the weeds by the most
feasible method, and at the same time
the cultivation it requires conserves
the moisture and leaves the ground
in most excellent condition to form .
seeded for the next years crop.
There is another element that enters
into the business of so-called dry
farming, which has been fully demon
strated in Utah and other western
states: namely, where the soil contains
abundance Of available plant food and
humus (organic matter, such as
manure) only little more than half
as much moisture is required to pro-
duce crop as is required in soils
deficient in available fertility. The
humus not only retards, evaporation,
but owing to bacterial activity result
ing from the presence of humus, such
an abundance of plant food is made
available that only little more than
half as much water is required to sus-
tain the growing plants-this for the
reason that the water consumed by
the plant is more highly charged with
the elements which constitute plant
food. This works on the same princi-
pie as gallon Of pure milk fed to
pigs being as nourishing as double
the amount that is half water.
The Dependability of Corn
question whether corn can always
be safely depended upon in the north
ern part of this state for crib purposes
or to be fed or sold as shelled corn.
The seasons are rather short for
Hest varieties, but owing to the rich
can be grown to the glazing stage with
stage, it is ready forthe silo to be
contains more feeding value than the
shelled corn and dry slower, from an
equal area. .>.
This is especially true when the en-
silage is fed to dairy stock. Ensilage
UOWtVeCS C8N DS Leu Win pFOuC 10
almost any kind Of livestock, but there
IS undoubtedly more money value in
feeding it to dairy stock. Feeding en-
silage thus on the farm affords manure
which will. put the soil in condition to
produce a crop with but little more
than half the rainfall that is required
on thin, lean, unfertilized land.
Corn Conserves Moisture
It will thus be seen that corn plays