The Sidney herald., 1960-10-12

CONTAMINATION, mercury treated
wheat, and insect damage which
are the most common reasons.
When you inspect your bins.
look for poorly fitting doors and
ventlatOrS, leaks in the roof or
other places where moisture might
enter. Look for openings where
rodents might enter and for anv
signs of rodents.
Insects as a general rule r
not commonly thought of as a
problem in Montana, but thew
90 appear IN stored grain under
certain conditions, so keep on the
alert and watch for insect in
~feStation too.
Be sure to inspect any storage
bins of reSealed grain in stor-
age ON the farm. 1t should be
checked just as often as the grain
going into storage this fall.
Census Facts
Our Extension economists point
out that some very interesting
and significant facts are emerging
from the preliminary reports of
the 1859 agricultural census.
For example, we have all real
lied that the number of farms in
Montana is becoming fewer, but
nave we realized how much few
er? According to the so census.
we have some 1000 fewer farms
than five years ago when the last
agricultural census was taken. AL
though about 600 of these were
lost by the change in the census
defln1tlon of what constitutes a
farm, nevertheless that sill leaves
a decline of some 3.4OO. This is
approximately a 10 percent reduc-
ton in five years. The recent cen
sus shows 28,957 farms in the
state.
However, what really astounds
the economists is the fact that in
he last five years the verag
value Of land and buildings per
farm in Montana has jumped from
$4,000 to over $71,0O. And in
some counties, the value of land
end buildings per farm more than
doubled during this period.
These facts are Significant from
the farm management standpoint.
For one thing, it means that the
capital requirements for getting
into farming are going even high
er. For another, it means that
careful planning, business analy-
sis, record keeping and the wise
use of credit becomes Of even
greater importance for the farm
operator if he is to be successful.
Soil Sterilants
There are many places where
soil sterilants cam be used to an
advantage. a few locations might
include around buildings, fuel
storage tanks, fence rows, drive
ways, parking lots, etc.
Soil sterilants all require mois-
ture to carry them into the root
zone of the weeds. Some chemicals
are much more soluble than
others and therefore require less
moisture to make them effective.
Therefore some soil sterilants are
more effective for the control of
deep rooted plants and Others for
The control of shallower rooted
plants. Because of this, we recon-
ment that soil sterilants be APP
piled in early spring, in March or
April before plant growth begins
or applied in late fall and leached
into the soil with moisture from
snow during the winter. Fall APP
plications have been found to be
as effective as spring applications.
There are many different soil
sterilants in use today, and which
one and rate of application to use
depends upon the plants involved
and term of sterilization desired.
Some of the most popular soil
Sterilants ON the market include
Telvar Monuron, Karmex dur
On, Simazine, Chlorea, Sodium
Chlorate, Chlorax-4O, Barascu,
Baron (Novon), and DB Granular.
For further information and re-
concentrations, feel free to call
on us at the Extension Service
Office and we will be glad to help
YOU with your problems.