The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-10-12
SUGGESTION FOR DRY YEARS

: as well haul water to corn field, al
haul corn to hogs. (Refer) (Agricul
, tural College Experiments, Missouri
Kansas, Nebraska and Montana).
Or if pastured off by cattle in latte
part of August and September, yol
have gain and finish of stock, ferti
lizer in field, where it belongs, the
land receiving all of the good of said
FERTILIZER and the corn corp has moi
taken any more moisture from the sol
alton because-first-the corn shades the
field, taking up much moisture from
the air-(that is why some folks have
heard corn growing on warm nights,
it was the swelling of the foliage OF
the corn stalks absorbing moisture,
help to produce a crop of winter wheat
that may be drilled in without further
cultivation of the field.
One crop production, whatever, that
crop may be, without rotation and
without some livestock, is, in the long
run suicidal farming"
While it is true that corn is as far
as is known, once the child of a south
ern climate and will grow and thrive
there, it will grow and thrive any
place in the North Temperate Zone,
where no frosts occur and the hours
of sunshine equal the corn crown sea-
son of the state of Iowa, and there are
more hours of sunshine in Montana
than in Iowa during the crop season,
for the reason of Ginger daylight hours
in Montana
The Mandan Indians, being an agri-
cultural tribe, did more towards widen
ing the Corn Belt, by the acclimatiza.
ton of their seed corn, as they were
gradually pushed up the Missouri river
by the more war-like tribes, therefore,
carefully outstanding their main staff
of life-CORN-. Their idea was the
same as Mr. Holden's Plucking the
select ears of corn for seed before it
was fully matured in the field to let it
ripen, dent and harden in the husk in
a dry, airy place.
|, personally lived during the years
from 1911 to 1917 in the Miles City
country and observed that where some
farmers planted some corn each year,
they harvested a corn or forage crop
more often than they harvested a
wheat crop, on unirrigated or so-called
dry land. A case in point of the bene
fits of having a corn field. The fall
and winter Of 1916 and 1917 was a
very severe season on unsheltered
livestock, many losses occurring from
The first storms occurred on the 9Th
or 9Th of November, 1916 and contin-
ued through until late spring of 1917
following spring of much rainfall in
1916 keeping the range grass green
and tender until sometime in July, |
1916 then dry with much hot wind
which shriveled the grass too quickly
to cure, then whipping it off the earth
with the results as above, early winter
and scarce natural pasture.
Arthur Kelsey, one of the Kelsey
brothers, then living and still at STAG
CyJ nOnb.y ucu lDU dCIt6 VI oIOWn
County Dent corn and 400 head of cat
tie, short pasturage and very little,
if any feed except the corn which de-
veloped good ears with ample leaves
and stalks, despite adverse conditions
for other forage crops. Mr.. Kelsey
held his cattle on the short pastures
as long as he dared, then turned them
into the cornfield, brought them
through the long winter, without loss |
While near neighbor, George Hor-
kan, now deceased, sustained, like all
other stockmen depending on the natu-
raj range without prepared feed sup
plies, losses up to 25% of livestock.
Was Arthur Kelsey paid for planting
and raising corn?
OF course, the Northwestern states
may not hope to equal the Corn Belt"
in yield of bushels per acre. But do
we need to? Our land does not carry 4
he same values or tax load, therefore
operating expenses should be lower
and for rotation and supplemental feed
purposes, will not smaller yields per
acre be good anchor to windward.
Some personal experience-In 1915,
a brother and partner returned to our
'anch in the Jefferson valley, located
IN bench land at an altitude of 400
'eet taking with him from the Miles
Town area, Yellow Flint and Brown
County Dent, seed corn, and the urge
% plant and grow corn-therefore-
he introduction, in the Jefferson val
ey, and Madison County, Mont, of
;orn, other than the sweet corn vari-
'ties, and believe it or not, Yellow
flint corn grew and matured there
md Brown County Dent was after.
wards acclimated there.
In 1917, we planted Yellow Flint
;orn on sod-breaking, dropping the
iced, every Sd furrow, discing the sod
Town twice. No rain fell from then on
or 120 days, the land being above the