OCR Text |
Show I Great Plains Wheat H Disked Corn Land Gives Results. H Cultivation Will Not Overcome Ex H treme Weather Conditions H "When tlio illffcronccs In vnluo of H tho yields of spring wheat nroJcsB B than tho differences In cost of pro- B duction, then cost becomes tho do- H termlnlng factor," is ono of twclvo H conclusions drnwn from oxtcnslvo ex- H perlmcntnl work carried on by four- H teen stations over n scries of years H and deAlt with at length In United V States Department of Agriculture H Bulletin No. 214, Spring Wheat In H tho Great I'la'ns Area. Hclatlons of H Cultural Mothods to Production. Tho H Great Plains area Includes parts nf K ten states, 40,000 suunro miles of H territory, taking In much of North H Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, No- H braska, Kansas, Oklahoma and parts H of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, H and Texas. In these states rourtocn 1 stations have worked on theso spring H wheat problems. Northern Colorado H nnd Kansas seem from theso Invcstl- m gatlons, to bo tho southern limit of H profltablo spring whent production, m on tho Great I'la'ns. Of course, this H limitation does not npply to winter B wheat nnd other crops. Among tho general conclusions H brought out by a study of tho results KB nt tho fourteen stations Is ono that shows tho nvcrago difference in tho H yields of spring wheat following fall H plowing nnd spring plowing Is very H small. At most stations tho ndvnn- tngo nf ono ovor tho other depends H upon the season. Tho dato obtained H Indlcato tho lmpnrtnnco of under- H standing tho general principles that govern tho observed seasonal vnrla- tlons nnd tho Importanco of adjusting H this work to tho general economy of farm organization. H Corn Ground Favors Wheat J Disked corn ground hns given con- slstently high yields. This, together H with tho low cost of this prcpnrafon for wheat, hns resulted In its unl- form showing of tho greatest profit H per aero at thoso stntlons whero It H hns been possible to ralso wheat nt H n profit nnd tho lenst loss nt thoso H stntlons whero whent has been rals- ed only at n loss. Tho realization of theso profits, howovor, depends upon tho succossfu growth of corn ns a H general farm crop In compctlt'on with other crops, nccordlng to tho deduc- tlons drawn In this bulletin. Suhsolllng, ns compared with wheat stiihhlo fnll plowed without Biibsoll- B Ing, has boon of doubtful utility ns H n means of increasing yields. As n means of ovcrcom'ng drought It is without vnluo. Only In tho Judith Hasln nnd ScottsblufT has it account- ed for nn Increase of moro than ono bushol per ncro. Tho evidence from eight stations, somo of which hnvo records of study covering eight years H on tho depth of plowing which In- ' eludes deep tilling and dynamlt ng, I would seem to be concluslvo that the ! nnturo of tho plains and the trend of their agriculture aro not to bo chang-' chang-' ed by tho Blmple expedient of working work-ing them to a greater depth than reached by tho ordinary plow nnd equipment. ' Listing whent stuhblo Instead of plowing It In tho fall has rcsu'ted in a small Increase In yield at sovon of tho eight stations whero it wns tried. Summer tillage has given tho hlphcst nverngo yields of any method under trial, except nt tho Judith Hasln Ha-sln and Akron stations. However, on nccount of Its high cost, duo to extra lnbor and nlternnto year cropping, It hns not been tho most profitable practice. prac-tice. Green Manuring Expens've Green manuring Is the most expensive expen-sive method under trial. It resembles resem-bles a fallow In that It requires tho ' uso of tho land for two years for 1 tho production of ono harvested crop ' with tho ndded expense of seed and ' seeding. Thcro Is n saving of cul-' cul-' tlvntlon during tho spring whllo tho ' green mnnuro crop Is growing, but this Is offsot by tho necessity of tho ' plowing to turn tho crop under nnd is not BUdlclent to mnko up for tho cost of seed nnd seeding. Yields havo not been commcnBurato with I tho Increased cost of production. It Is hardly fair to charge the whole cost of green manuring to tho ono crop that Immediately follows It as is dono In this bulletin. It should havo n cumulative effect In building I up tho soli or remedying Its deflclen- , cy in organic matter. Tho ovldonco shows that on normal soils in tho Great Plains nt lenst In tho first I years of tho work llttlo effect from green manuring Is bIiowii on other . than tho first crop. Farm Management a Big Factor Ono fact standing out prominently Is that cultivation Is not nn unfailing unfail-ing solution of problem of drought It lll doubtless ullevlnto It to somo 1 oxtcnt hut can never fully overcome it. At different times nnd In d ffer- 1 ent sections certnln methods havo boon exploited ns to tho solution of tho problem of dry farming. Each of theso systems may hnvo merit but any and nil fall fnr short of tho panacea pa-nacea under nil conditions. Whero work has been carried on for several years with no material dllTerenco In yield obtn ned under tlio various methods, tho bulletin indicates indi-cates thnt moro freedom may bo used by tho farmer In planning his operations. If spring plowing, fnll plowing or disking, after somo intertilled inter-tilled crop, g vos practically tho samo yields the rational thing to do Is to tuko ndvantngo of this fact. It Is Jo-slrablo Jo-slrablo to plow when It can bo dono most economically for men nnd for teams. The samo way In disking the lnnd. |