OCR Text |
Show NEWLY BROKEN LAND CROPS Common Practice of Sowing Flax Relieves Re-lieves Struggling Farmer, but It Net Always Beit. Th very common practice of cow-Ink cow-Ink llax or some older crop r.it newly broken ltin.l ha apparently snrvn In fin or during recent yetira. owlen aa doubt to the great Increase In lh growing of th:: crop. The practice oftt -mimes relieves the struggling funner who In beginning work on the hoiiiehteitd. but It la Iitt tho best thing that ran be done fur the future production of t he laud. This at leant la true, where the normal precipitation precipita-tion In low, as low Hay an 10 to 12 Inches. When a crop of flax or wheat or other grain crop Ih taken from land the season that It has been broken, no opportunity Ih given for molHture to go down Into the dry subsoil t moisten It. The crop may absorb It all In a dry year and then nut bare enoiiKh to perfect It growth. In suru Instance the grower usually la anxious anx-ious to follow with another crop the next year, and to obtain It he may almply disc the land. The aecond crop, If Indeed one can be taken from the land that year. In turn takea all the moisture of that season, none la left for the noil, much lean for the subsoil; hence the subsequent cropping for a time I much liable to be attended with disaster. If the first plowing haa been shallow, the condition will be further fur-ther aggravated. The necessities of the newcomer In very ninny Instances compel lilm to adopt Home aurh course In order that he may get means that will enable him to carry on his work. Hut many adopt thin method! because they are anxloiia to get a quick return for their outlay without being compelled to farm thua. There In no quern Inn that It la not the beat method to adopt. It would be better In the end to allow tbe land to lie Idle during nil tbe flrat aummer, thua giving time for molHture to go down Into the subsoil. With aoine reserve re-serve of moisture In the aoll, better cropa may be grown, at leant In the future that Immediately follow. The benefit from having a atore of moluture in tho subroil In a dry eenaon cannot be overeat (mated. A small amount of such molHture may aave A crop. The rainfall during the growing period may be only enough to carry the crop on to tho caring stage. One more Inch of rain would make thn crop and It does not come. If In thn absence of that inch of rain there wan reserve moisture In the noil, the crop I would be carried to completion. |