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Show PLOWING STUBBLE SOIL Moisture Is Considered a Most Important Factor. Deduction of Experiments Conducted at Akron (Colo.) Field Station Ar Useful Throughout Entiro Great Plains Area. The average yields of spri&g Held crops, such as wheat, oats and com In the great plains area, from spring and from fall plowing, show that the blind following of a rule prescribing any particular par-ticular time of plowing might cause a reduction as often as it does an increase in-crease in the yields. The great variation varia-tion in the time and amount of precipitation precipi-tation In this region must be constantly con-stantly kept in mind when considering the time of plowing. No dependence can be placed on a heavy precipitation in August and September, yet it frequently fre-quently occurs. As moisture is considered con-sidered the most important factor In crop production in the great plain? area, its conservation la the primary object in cultivation. Stubble, weeds and uneven ground are common means of retaining snow and holding a large part of the winter precipitation. In deciding when a field should be plowed, the question of whether a greater amount of moisture will be accumulated by holding the snow that falls than will be dissipated by the growth of weeds is paramount. It must be decided by the man on the ground. In answering this question several factors must be considered, namely, the amoutot of moisture el-ready el-ready in the soil that may be lost through weed growth, the probable time before the weeds will be killed by frost, the possibilities of increasing increas-ing the water In storage in the soil by holding the snow that may come, the danger of sol blowing if the stub, ble and weeds are removed, and the distribution of farm labor. The impor-tance impor-tance of these factors is considered In Department Bulletin No. 253, "The Effect of Different Times of Plowing Small Grain Stubble in Eastern Colo rado." The major portion of the bulletin bul-letin Is given to a description of the time of plowing for spring wheat, but is as applicable to oats and corn. The experiments were performed at Akron (Colo.) field station, but the deductions are general and useful throughout the great plains area. It was found that there was a wider variation in the precipitation of the fall and winter, when the moisture should be stored, than during the growing months. Rains in August and early September invariably produce a growth of weeds, which usually exhaust the valuable moisture supply. The loss of moisture which has penetrated to a greater depth than three inches, after the weeds are dead in the fall and before be-fore growth starts in the spring, is almost negligible. Either from land fall plowed or from that covered with stubble light precipitation evaporates unless it falls as snow, which is blown into drifts until a considerable quantity quan-tity has accumulated. As ten inches of light snow are equivalent to only one inch of rain, and one Inch of rain penetrates the soil to a depth of six inches, it will be readily seen that snows of one to two inches supply a very email amount of moisture, a greater part of which will be lost by evaporation. Every effort should be made, therefore, to conserve the moisture moist-ure which falls either while the crop Is on the land or while the land is lying idle. Early fall rains will be used up by weeds unless the land is cultivated. Heavy winter snows may occur, but they are likely to blow off the fields unless there is either stubble or an uneven surface to hold them. The time and method of cultivation, then, should be planned to prevent weed growth and still leave the soil or stubble stub-ble In such a condition that it will hold the maximum snow. However, the period pe-riod when labor is available will also be an important factor in determining the time of plowing. When labor is scarce, cultivation other than plowing plow-ing which will kill weeds and can b done rapidly may be resorted to. If this cultivation leaves the stubble on the surface or leaves the surface rough enough to hold the snow, it may be of even greater value than plowing. Disking Disk-ing or listing in the fall are the methods meth-ods most commonly used. The amount of moisture in the ground in the spring is only one of the factors in producing grain crops. Weeds growing with the crop may use enough water to decrease the ftrain yield. It was found that fall plowing at the Akron Ptation is especially favorable fa-vorable to weeds starting with the grain. Plowing in the spring, however, how-ever, thoroughly eliminates the weeds, and if done immediately before seeding, seed-ing, gives the grain crop a start before the weeds commence to grow. The ideal cultivation would prevent weed growth in the fall, leave the land In such condition as to retain the maximum maxi-mum snow in the winter, and retard the germination of weed seed until the crop starts in the spring. |