The Redwood gazette., 1937-04-08
FARM NEWS
Edited by
ADRIAN M. WILSON
County Agent

! ADRIAN M. WILSON
County Agent
Two publications, written by
University Farm staff members,
will be of special interest to Min
nesota farmers who intend to
participate in the 1887 agricultur-
al program because they discuss
crops and practices recommended
by the regulations of the pro-
gram, states Frank J. Brown, in
charge of information for the pro-
gram in Minnesota.
Folder !, "FalloW in Weed Con-
troll" gives recommendations for
tillage operations in program OF
falloW for effective weed control.
The folder has a chart which
shows when to start fallow, how
often to cultivate to keep the
ground black and when to stop
the fallow in the fall. These re-
concentrations are applied to
mustard, French-weed, perennial
sow thistle and Canada thistle,
leafy spurge and quack grass.
Dates for these fallow operations
differ in different regions of the
state.
Pasture Plants and Pasture
Combinations" Circular 40, writ
ten by Ralph F. Grim and A. G..
Army, of the University Farm
agronomy staff, discuss suitable
pasture plants, many of which
can be used in soil building prac-
tees. Timothy, Kentucky blue
grass, bronze grass, reed canary
grass, sweet clover, medium red
clover, alsike and white or Dutch
clover are discussed as to rate
and time of seeding, preparation
of seedbed and other cultural
practices. Payments will be made
for the use of these crops men
toned if used according to regu-
lations of the program governing
soil building practices.
Even with the present high
prices of grain and corn combined
with scarcity of grass and leg
ume seeds, the number of Mime
sofa farmers cooperating in the
1887 agricultural conservation
program will not decrease notice
ably, reports of county and local
sign-up meetings held by " agrl-
cultural conservation associations
in the state indicate.
Up to Friday, March rs, all but
II of the county associations had
reported meetings, and As of those
reporting indicated that they had
held at least one or more sign-up
meetings at which farmers dis
cussed with local and county
committeeman their intentions for
planting their farms in 1887 and
how they could fit the 1897 farm
program to their plans. In these
meetings, the farmers discussed
only their plans for 1887. They
did not know which of their fields
would be planted to small grain
or corn, but generally they were
able to state the condition In
which their legume acreages were
surviving the winter.
The sign-up meetings held IN
the counties number 382, with 342
still to be held A total of 1888
farmers about half in these COM
munities, attended the 382 meet
ings. OF these, 22,265 declared
their intentions of planting for
1887. Most of the counties will
complete their series of meetings
by April 5, and the greater part
of the communities will have fin
ished all sign-up work by April
The reports from county agents
show that the 1887 program is
much easier to understand than
the one of 1886 and in practically
all Minnesota counties it is being
received by farmers with enthu-
siasm. They expect a high per-
centage of participation.
Community committeenmen feel
that farmers who have discussed
the set-up of the 1887 agricultural
conservation program with the
committeeman themselves have
obtained at least a fair idea OF
how the program operates. More
and more they are realizing that
there are provisions in the pro-
gram which make it possible for
every farm to be eligible for par
ticipation in the farm program.
INVESTIGATE NEW" SEED
A wise farmer makes it a rule
not to buy any new variety OF
grain or grass seed unless it has
first been tested and approved by
his state agricultural experiment
stations, says the division of seed
| investigations of the United States
/ Department of Agriculture.
This bureau of plant industry
division, which administers the
federal Seed Act, again has re-
ports of high-priced seed which
clever statesmen portray as having
unheard of qualities and yielding
ability. The seed-usually claim
ed by the salesman to be a new
| variety-may be an old, inferior
variety with which the buyer is
not familiar or a standard variety
adapted to some other territory
When the crop fails to produce as
expected the first year, the un-
usual season or some unforeseen
calamity is blamed for the fail