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Show 1 TIIWIMMM IMIIII MiWl 1I.J FEST OF VOLUNTEER GRAIN Evil May Ee Greatly Minimise! by Using Rotation Given Herewith Corn Is Eest Crop. The extent lo which volunteer grain grows In dry areas is perplexing to the farmer who U;s in mind the rotation rota-tion of crops upon his farm. In western west-ern areas where winter wheal only is grown the problem is easy. Hy the system followed the farmer pummer-fnllowoil pummer-fnllowoil one year and the next year grows wheat. While he is summer-tallowing summer-tallowing his land he has the chance to cksiroy much grain that would otherwise oth-erwise give him trouble. But in many areas even in the dry country, some rotation is wanted. How, then, can the farmer keep down the pest of volunteer vol-unteer grain that if present will destroy de-stroy ihc purity of his grain &nd cause it to mix, in some insiame to a vexatious extent. This evil will be greatly minimized by the following rotation: Summer-fallow Summer-fallow one year, grain; sorr.e cultivated cultivat-ed crop, grain. This rotation would only call for the real summer-fallow one year in four. Two years would be devoted to cleaning the land, that is the year that it was fallow and the year that the cultivated crop was grown Thus I here would be three crops taken from the ground in four years. By this system the land ought lo be kept free from volunteer grain and also from weeds. The summer fallow should take away everything that is offensive the year that It was being done, and the cultivated crop would do the same, while it was being grown, that is to say. if the farmer did his duty toward it. The cultivated crop will include corn, potatoes, beans and field roots and possibly peas. Peas, however, may not pay for such cultivation. That has yet to be proved. Of these crops corn will be away beyond all comparison compar-ison the most important, as it will be grown over wide areas. It is the easiest easi-est of these crops to grow and is also the surest except In the case of pota toes. It Is also the most needed, as its fodder is wanted on every farm in the dry area. If alfalfa can be Introduced intothe rotation in a somewhat regular way It will still further aid In safeguarding safeguard-ing the cleaning of the land. If alfalfa occupied the ground for a term of years, say three or four, the volunteer grain would perish. How long such grain would live In the ground would depend chiefly on the amount of moisture mois-ture In the soil, but It is about certain that ordinary grain would not retain vitality longer in areas where the moisture Is enough to grow annual crops of grain. Some gain will probably result from disking the ground right away after harrest. Of course should the weather weath-er continue dry up to harvest but little- of the grain would sprout. But should any considerable amount of rain fall before growth would cease much of the volunteer grain would sprout and it would then be buried with the plow. |
