OCR Text |
Show DRY FARMING RULES Ten Commandments for Success in Western Arid Regions. He Who Obeys Them Shall Reap Abundant Abun-dant Crops and He Who Violates Them Shall Be Punished by Decrease In Yield. (By W. C. PALMER, Agricultural Editor, Extension Department, North Dakota Agricultural College.) I. Thou shaut plow deep. Let rain get into soil easily. Let in big rain without runoff. Provides more feeding space for plant roots. More plant food made available. II. Thou shalt keep the surface soil loose. Keep soil moisture from evaporating. evaporat-ing. Lets rain get Into soil easily. Morejjlant food made available, due to more moisTuraT Harrow the grain after it is up two inches or use weeder. III. Thou shalt cultivate level. Level toil has the least soil exposed to the air. -. More evaporation from a ridged soil. Level soil will take in rainfall much faster than ridged soil. On, ridged soil the rain runs off through the furrows. The soil In the ridges dries out so that the plant has less moist surface soil to draw on for food and moisture. Ridging the soil is a most effective way for 3etting rid of both the moisture moist-ure in the soil and of rainfall. IV. Thou shalt summer fallow when rainfall is less than 15 Inches. The summer fallow saves up two years' rain for one crop. The summer fallow kills weeds and plant diseases. The summer fallow should be cultl-rated. cultl-rated. When rainfall is over 15 Inches, corn will be as good a preparation for a crop as the bare fallow. V. Thou shalt add organic matter to the soil. Holds moisture and plant food. Improves mechanical condition of the soil. Helps make plant food available. Lessens drifting and blowing of the soil. Lessens washing of soil. Stable manure is the best form. Plow weeds under when green. VI. Thou shalt keep down tho weeds. Weeds use up moisture. Weeds use up plant food. Weeds crowd the plants. Weeds shade the crops. Weeds make it difficult for the plant to grow. Weeds make it hard to work the land properly. VII. Thou shalt grow early maturing matur-ing crops. Growing conditions best in early summer. Winter grains better than . Bpring irains. VIII. Thou shalt grow corn, every three to five years. The cultivation given corn saves moisture. The cultivation given corn kills weeds. The cultivation given corn kills plant diseases. Corn best preparation for a grain crop. Corn produces fine stock food, both jrain and fodder. Corn produces more per acre than )ther crops. Do not hill up corn, as this wastes he moisture. IX. Thou shalt grow clover or al-'alfa al-'alfa every few years. Clover and alfalfa add fertility to he soil. Clover and alfalfa add organic mater mat-er to the soil. Clover and alfalfa kill weeds and )lant diseases. i Clover and alfalfa produce a mosl valuable hay. Clover and alfalfa produce very valuable val-uable seed crops. X. Thou shalt keep stock. The most profitable way of marketing market-ing grain and fodder is through stock. They produce manure, which is very necessary to the soil. They bring about prosperity. Who obeys these commandments shall reap abundant crops. He who violates them shall be punished pun-ished by decrease in yield in proportion propor-tion to the transgression. |