The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-08-05
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DEPARTMENT FOR THE ACRICULTURISTS
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Farmers Are Facing a Bad Hay
Shortage-Farmers in Minnesota and
adjoining states are facing a serious
hay shortage and are seeking ways
and means of offsetting it.
Representatives of the extension
service, Department of Agriculture,
University of Minnesota, including
county agents, have conferred and
suggested methods of meeting the sit
uation, adaptable to different parts OF
the state.
Where corn is available, farmers
are urged to make closer use OF
corn either as green feed this sum-
mer and fall or as fodder and silage
for the winter. To this end they
should fill their silos to capacity or
construct trench silos where these
are needed and soil and drainage con-
ditions will permit. If the corn can
not be stored as silage, it should be
stored as fodder.
All straw, especially oat straw,
should be saved either in barn mows
or in carefully constructed stacks,
fenced to protect from the cattle, and
fed from racks or managers.
Other suggestions include the
seeding Of all rye in stubble fields to
furnish fall and early spring pas
ture; the feeding of green corn, mil
let or other green feed this summer
and fall in order to save hay for win
ter feeding; a third cutting of alfal-
ia, possibly, if it can be taken off not
later than September B; the culhng
out of improbable livestock in order
that the profitable animals may be
fully fed; the possibility of feeding
lightly on roughage and buying grain
rather than hay; the seeding of more
alfalfa and sweet clover next spring,
and fall blowing in preparation for
such seedlings.
Horticulturist, SO, Growing New
Plums-O. w, Moore of Spring VAL
lev, Mimi, 96Nyears old, may be well
along in years but he is up-to-the
minute as a horticulturist. In a let
ter to R. S. Macintosh, secretary
of the Minnesota State Horticultural
society and member Of the extern
sion division, Department of Agri-
culture, University Of Minnesota, he
reports that he has an orchard of 80
young plum trees of the latest "mod-
els"ethe newest and best varieties
of plums bred by the fruit breeding
station of the University Department
of Agriculture, including the Elliott,
the Stella, the Winona, the Mandota,
the Mound, the Tonka, the Red Wing,
and the Underwood.
Mr.. Moore reports that his new
plums are Just coming into bearing
and that he is looking for market
for this years crop. Mr.. Macintosh
has advised him to advertise in his
local newspaper in order to develop
first of all his home market.
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This Is the Time to Attack Quack
Grass-Quack grass is Minnesota
most serious weed pest, according to
a bulletin on the subject by A. G..
Army of the Minnesota Agricultural
Experiment Station. Many a farm
er realizes the truth of Mr.. Arny's
statement and is wondering what to
do about it.
1t is at this season of the year that
the farmer should make his attack, ac-
cording to the bulletin referred to,
and any attack made must be with
determination to be thorough. Com
plete eradication is based on thorough
tillage-not tillage now and then
when nothing else needs immediate
attention, but tillage according to a
we'll planned and carefully executed
campaign.
The bulletin mentioned describes
various methods tried out by the ag-
ricultural experiment station work
ers. Most of them involved crop ro-
tation systems and each of them gave
results. A 4-year crop rotation, con-
sisting of grain, hay, corn, and corn,
gave especial opportunity to combat
weeds. This involved careful tillage
from the first of August to the time
the ground was frozen, followed by
corn crops two years in succession, al
lowing intensive cultivation for a
longer period than with other rota-
lions.
Conflicting Makes Big 6-Months'
Gain-In the first six months of this
year the number Of active cow-test-