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Show Farm News-Notes By LEW MAR PRICE County Agent The rabies outbreak in the county in the past few weeks is cause for considerable concern since it endangers endan-gers human life as well as all types of livestock. If the source and extent of the infection in-fection were known the case would not be so difficult to handle, but since neither of these can be determined determ-ined from available information, it is expedient that any suspicious cases cas-es be reported immediately. If we could learn of any dogs; or cats that : have died suddenly or mysteriously, it may lead to information that would save further spread and the loss of life and property. For successful crop, production in (Continued on back page) o- FARM NEWS NOTES BY LEW MAR PRICE (Continued from page one) Beaver County there are four parts that require about equal attention They are seedbed, fertility, seed and cultivation. These four branches are interdependent to such an extenl that the crop will be in keeping with the weakest operation. We should not forget the old saying that "A chain Is only as strong as its weakest weak-est link," for it is applicable in farming operations. To the present time the first three finks have provided for this year, and whether they are good or pool links there still much dependent upon up-on the last, or cultivation. Conditions Condi-tions favorable to the growth ol crops are also favorable to weeds and their development is usually much more rapid than the desired crop. One of the principal enemies of weeds is cultivation. Frequent cultivation conserves the moisture, warms the soil, and kills the weeds so that more rapid growth of the crop is possible, thereby greatly great-ly increasing the yield and hastening the time of maturity. It appears that we will have no surplus water this year, and frequent cultivation will supplement to a very good advantage ad-vantage where water is short. Crops that are in danger of early frosts are made much more safe il proper cultivation Is given. Corn is especially responsive to cultivation, giving a materially increased yield in a shorter period. Figures compiled in the past few years land published recently show that it costs an average of $107. .00 per acre to produce potatoes in Idaho. Ida-ho. Such costs would require larger yields to pay production costs and any profit. Keeping the Alfalfa Field Productive "Although alfalfa is our main forage for-age crop very little work has been done in its improvement," said Professor Pro-fessor Hogenson. "This has probably prob-ably been because, even when left alone or abused as compared with other crops, it still produces more and better feed than any other forage for-age crop. Improvement can be made, and yields increased by very little effort and expense. "The Utah Experiment Station after af-ter checking up on alfalfa fields in all parts of Utah for a number of years, tells us that on the average the yield and quality of alfalfa produced pro-duced per acre begins to decrease after the fifth or sixth year, and continues con-tinues gradually to decrease due to weeds, disease, insects and lack of soil fertility. The greatest yields on high quality hay come the third, fourth, fifth and probably sixth years. "This being true, alfalfa should be fitted into a regular six year crop rotation ro-tation system, plowing up four or five acres of the oldest alfalfa each year and planting each yeai the same number of acres of new alfalfa ' with the barley or oat crop. Alfalfa responds well to an application of manure. At least once during the 1 six years, the alfalfa field should be manured either in the fall, during 1 the winter or In the spring. This 1 should be followed in the spring by light harrowing or by the use of a brush drag. "To produce the best quality hay, 1 the alfalfa should be cut when from ' one-tenth to one-fifth in bloom. The rake should follow the mower as soon as the alfalfa has slightly wilted. wilt-ed. If a push rake is used the hay is allowed to cure in the windrow. If it is to be hauled to the stack in a rack the hay should be cocked and allowed to cure in the cock. "On most of Utah farms about half of the cultivated area of the farm should be in alfalfa. If there are sixty acres of cultivated land on the farm, thirty acres should be in alfalfa, about ten acres to grain, mostly barley, about ten acres to cul-; tivated and cash crops, about eight acres to pasture and two acres to garden, home orchard and farmstead. farm-stead. Livestock in sufficient numbers, num-bers, and of as high quality as possible, pos-sible, should be maintained so that no hay or grain need be sold, but all of it fed to livestock and marketed either as livestock or livestock pro-duets. pro-duets. If a cash crop can be grown, and one Bhould be -where possible, all well and good. We are just that much farther ahead. Our cropping 6ystem should provide feed for our livestock, food for the farm 'family and if possible, a cash crop." Fertilizing Pasture Boosts Returns Sufficient trials have been made throughout the United States to show that the carrying capacity of a pasture pas-ture may be materially increased when barnyard manure is applied. It not only increases the vegetative growth, but actually improves the quality of the forage as well. It has also been noted that the rapidity of the growth is increased sufficiently to enable the farmer to pasture the field so treated from one to two weeks earlier in the spring. This makes it possible for the dairyman to save one to two weeks supply of concentrates by getting this earlier growth. Cornell University has found that the average feed cost per cow per day for the six summer months is about 10 cents, whereas the feed cost during the winter six months is about 38 cents, per day. The conclusion con-clusion is drawn that insofar as fertilization fer-tilization can make pasturage take the place of manger feeds, it is profitable pro-fitable probably to the extent of about twenty cents per cow per day. In addition to this saving in feeds cost, better pastures would go, far to maintaining the milk flow which at times during the drought would become be-come seriously impaired. |