S B ^-- 1916 j!$^ > - Progressive Agriculture 1916 TILLAGE, NOT WEATHER, CONTROLS YIELD BY HARDY W. qAMPBELL LINCOLN, NEBR. U. S. A. PRICE, $1.00 1916 WOODRUFF BANK NOTE Co. LINCOLN, NEBRASKA COPYRIGHTED 1916 BY H. W. CAMPBELL ALL RIGHTS RESERVED A Vale INDEX TO CHAPTERS CHAPTER TITLE OF CHAPTER PAGE PREFACE I. A Few Opening Suggestions 7 II. Farm Possibilities 16 III. Preparation Before Seeding 28 IV. Corn the Staple Crop 40 V. New Problem in Corn Culture 51 VI. Time of Planting 59 VII. Wheat 65 VIII. Does Tillage Increase Fertility 75 X. Summer Tilling for Wheat 85 XI. Amount of Seed per Acre 91 XII. Disking After the Harvest 94 XIII. Cane for Hay and Silage 97 XIV. Kaffir Corn 103 XV. Hog or Broom Corn Millet 104 XVI. The Garden 106 XVII. Trees on the Farm 108 XVIII. The Soil Auger in Tillage Education. . 112 See the 48 illustrations and color plates upon which this book is based; they are grouped on pages 130 to 155, inclusive. 386050 INDEX TO SUBHEADINGS PAGE Seven Points or Classes in Tillage 9 Class 1. Planning Tillage Work 11 Class 2. Preparation of Soil to Plow 11 Class 3. Plowing 12 Class 4. Physical Condition of Soil 13 Class 5. Keeping Up Tillage 13 Class 6. Planting 14 Class 7. Cultivation 14 Success With Right Principles 20 Every Farmer an Investigator 23 Mr. G. W. Hahn's Home 25 Spring Tillage 28 Summer Tillage 33 Plowing the Summer Tilled Land 34 Fall Tilling 37 Plowing for Winter Wheat 39 Seed Corn 41 Thick or Thin Planting 43 Corn Cultivation 44 Harrow and Cultivate 45 Purpose of Cultivation 46 Cultivation of Listed Corn 48 Late Cultivation of Corn 50 Results of Spring Tillage and Late Planting 52 Other Results Obtained 55 Corn for Grain and Ensilage 57 Winter Wheat and Tillage 67 Further Evidence 70 More Evidence 77 Why This Remarkable Stooling and Growth 82 Influence of Ideal Conditions 84 Look Out for Blowing 86 The Problem of Weeds 87 Effect of Rains on Summer Tilling 89 Advantage of Pacific Coast in Summer Tilling 90 Fall Seeding of Summer Tilled Land 92 The Remedy for Too Thick Stand 93 Fall Seeding on Fall Tilled Land 93 Spring Wheat 94 Crops and Soil Fertility 96 Cane Hay a Valuable Crop 98 Spring Tilling for Cane Hay 98 How to Plant Cane Seed 100 Quantity of Cane Seed 101 Cane for Silo 101 Preparing for Trees 109 Planting the Trees 109 Small Fruit Ill Breaking Sod for Crop Ill The Soil Auger What It Will Show You 112 Kind and Size of Soil Auger 114 How to Begin Investigation 114 Water Holding Capacity of Soil 115 When to Use the Soil Auger 116 Examining the Soil Moisture 118 The Auger as Tillage Indicator 119 Some Strong Endorsements of Our Work 122 PREFACE Progressive Agriculture has been selected as the title of this book for the reason that these two words have much meaning to the American people on two very vital lines. Progressive, as defined in the dictionary, means going forward, advancement, improvement, de- veloping greater things, conditions, crops. Agri- culture is farming, husbandry, tillage, the raising of food for man and beast. Therefore applied Progressive Agriculture means briefly increased prosperity and happiness. In semi-humid regions the problem of general farming is one of how to avoid waste. Twenty- one years ago we began writing and speaking on the subject of soil tillage to conserve the moisture and obtain better crops, having begun our obser- vations 14 years before. Now we are able to give in these pages results of 35 years of actual field experiments in the rich region which stretches from the Missouri valley to the Pacific and from Mexico to the north boundary of Alberta. Much progress was made in the early years, but never so much as in the past four years, in which time we have had the hearty cooperation of a large number of progressive farmers, over a wide scope of country. Our ideas have undergone change with better knowledge of the problem and a more practical field information as the result; and while in a I way there is nothing fundamentally new in it, 1 4 Pr'efzce /the practical application of the vital principles is ( all new, and today we are better prepared than ever before to give information that will be immensely helpful to all who are engaged in general fanning in the west. The real question is one of results large crops in all seasons, surer crops every year, cutting out uncertainty and chance wherever possible. It can be done, it has been done, you can do it. A great army of doubters has been forced to recognize the plain fact that these problems are being solved, and public sentiment now more than ever before favors the demonstrated fact that by soil tillage very much can be done to over- come the handicap of limited rainfall in the semi- humid west. There is better appreciation of the close relation between soil tillage and available plant food, together with the quantity of seed and time of seeding, and consequent increase of crops. It is a growing and expanding subject with immense possibilities. Results of actual farm work form the basis of this book. The principles stated and discussed have been developed from actual experiments in the great variety of soils under many climatic con- ditions. The pictures used are from photographs, and names, dates and actual results are invariably given to illustrate what has actually been done. This book is dedicated to the farmer who is desirous to make progress in agriculture, who will study these pages and take home the lessons of these pictures, who approaches the subject without prejudice or skepticism, and who is will- Preface 5 ing to take the steps that will surely increase the returns from his labor. This is true Progressive Agriculture. Yours for greater prosperity in the semi-humid sections. HARDY W. CAMPBELL. Lincoln, Nebr., Jan. 1, 1916. j| Progressive Agriculture CHAPTER I A FEW OPENING SUGGESTIONS What is tillage of the soil? Writers have been answering the question for a century and they have not told it all. That part of Agriculture which deals with soil tillage is, and ever will be an unfinished science, because we shall go on learning more and more about it and never quite reach the end. Tillage, in its broad sense, means all handling or treatment of the soil incident to crop growing, plowing, packing, disking, harrowing and culti- vating. Under this broad term comes any mechanical work or process that is applied to change the physical condition of the soil, to prepare the seed bed, to assist the growing plant and to keep the field free of weeds. Not all farmers, or those interested in farming, or persons who have made some study of agri- culture, agree as to the relative importance of tillage as compared with other phases of farm work. Some place the emphasis at one place and some at another. There are those who insist that success in farming is wrapped up in animal husbandry and others who make a fad of crop varieties and of seed selection and seed testing. Then there are those who have asserted that til- lage is nothing as compared to climatic conditions, or in other words, that every farmer everywhere 8 Progressive Agriculture is at the mercy of the clouds and sunshine, the drouth and storm. But most practical farmers know that tillage is very important, and they understand pretty well how to get some good and sure results through intelligent tillage. But there are some things that are more important than others, and that, so it has been demonstrated, are doubly im- portant in the semi-humid regions of the country, in connection with tillage. For instance: Tillage and its relation to available plant food in the soil by the storing, controlling and utilizing of the available water, whether from the clouds, ditch or sub-irrigation. This has not heretofore been considered as of first importance. The farmer must recognize this importance, and he must eventually come to understand just what happens in chemical action or bacterial development under certain ideal soil conditions, as well as what happens when the soil is not in con- dition to properly utilize the water. Available plant food depends on this process which goes on in nature's laboratory during the time soils are being prepared for crops or between the time of fitting and planting of the crops. The farmer may, to a large extent, guide and control this. Intelligent tillage is the key to the situation. As it is now fully understood, that which is done to bring about the most favorable condition for this laboratory action, whatever it is or however it comes about, will also produce the ideal condition for the soil for quick germination of the seed and rapid root growth. (See Cut No. 11.) Progressive Agriculture 9 Now all of this means a great deal to the farmer and it will require thoughtful care and intelligent handling right from the start, no half-hearted work will win out. At the outset it should be said that set rules, regarding the mechanical work in all soils, cannot be made that will take the place of those worked out by local intelligent observa- tion. The most that can be done is to establish the right principles most favorable to plant growth, leaving to each farmer to work out the problem of mechanical work largely with his own tools and in his own way and according to the special conditions that obtain in his own fields. Once you catch on to the real fundamental prin- ciples, you will ever after find yourself intensely interested. Please observe, as previously outlined, that it is not alone needful that there shall be such tillage as will tend to store water in the soil that it may be on hand when needed, but the farmer must just as surely direct his efforts to bringing about soil conditions that will utilize this moisture in every available form to increase the available plant food. This means a soil condition where there is combined in the soil, the proper propor- tion of air and water so that the summer heat, when it comes, will develop the conditions that make for rapid and healthier growth of the plants. SEVEN POINTS IN TILLAGE To more clearly establish the main points in tillage the subject has been divided into seven heads or general classes for consideration. It is 10 Progressive Agriculture hoped that in this way the reader may more readily grasp the basic or fundamental principles or ideas involved. In the study of each class, as well as in the application of the principles, the fact must be kept constantly in mind that under semi-humid conditions, more perhaps than else- where, nature sometimes helps and sometimes hinders the progress of work done to bring about the ideal conditions. Because of this fact, be ever alert to note and understand what happens, as for instance, why soil slightly dry or too wet will not assume the same ideal physical condition when plowed as will moist soil that is just right for the plow. Why a half inch of rainfall will not have the same effect in dissolving and settling the lower portion of the soil furrow that an inch or 2-inch rainfall will; neither will a 2-inch rain have the same effect 30 days after plowing that it would have one day after. I Intelligent observation, understanding and re- cognition of these primary facts is of wide import- ance. The lack of it has many times misled the investigator and farmer in conclusions as to the correctness of principles and methods he has been following. The farmer always needs to remember that his attitude towards and faith in progress, advancement and confidence in the theories in- volved in any question, regulates very largely the value and the amount of truth grasped in his investigation of the basic principles. While the "How" and "Why" of tillage are broad and to the untrained mind complex ques- Progressive Agriculture 11 tions, yet a correct solution can be reached. Greater problems have been solved; and when these questions are really mastered, the farmer of modest means will have more dollars added to to his earning capacity than could be added in any other one way. To this branch of human endeavor that beautiful old adage, "Knowledge is Wealth", truthfully applies. CLASS I PLANNING The first step in Progressive Agriculture is to thoughtfully and carefully plan in advance all tillage work. In doing this recognize the fact that certain principal factors govern growth, produc- tion and maturity of all farm crops. Most vital of these are physical condition of the soil and available food, the quantity of seed per acre, and time of planting. All of this is to be considered in connection with the farmer's judgment, based on observation, study and experience, as to the kind, time and manner of work to be applied, for this is the foundation of all you anticipate. CLASS II PREPARATION The work of preparing the soil for plowing is a necessary preliminary work on which very much depends in most of the years. Most important in this preparatory work under semi-humid con- ditions is that of loosening the soil at the surface early in the spring, or just after the harvest in summer or fall. This is with the purpose of causing the proper percentage of moisture to accumulate and remain in the firm soil just below 12 Progressive Agriculture the loosened soil, commonly termed the mulch. Proper moisture in soils means life and growth, but dryness death to all plant development. The right per cent of moisture will also make pos- sible easier and better plowing. More surely, also, will this careful preparation assure to the soil the moisture that will make it more sus- ceptible to each and every tillage act designed to obtain the ideal physical condition of the seed and root bed. In short, water is the prime ele- ment, not only for the plant to drink but to aid in getting the soil in ideal condition, to build up the soil and increase plant food. CLASS III PLOWING The third division of the topic is the command to plow the land well, and in this much depends on the moisture conditions of the soil when it is done. If you would get the greatest good out of the least possible expense in tillage, give to the second class very careful consideration, then be sure your furrow is even in depth and width and well turned. As to the depth of plowing, very much depends upon what is possible in the follow-up work as well as the condition of the soil when plowed and the time likely to elapse between the plowing and the planting of the crop. Much also depends on whether the soil is new or virgin soil or old land that has been plowed several years. From 5 to 7 inches is a fair range of depth, but the deeper the plowing is done the greater effort must be made to immediately obliterate all air cavities or firm the lower part of the furrow. Progressive Agriculture 13 CLASS IV PHYSICAL CONDITION After plowing it is important to put the plowed ground into proper physical condition, with as little delay as possible. The tendency of the plow is to leave numerous large and small openings in the bottom of the furrow. Sometimes when soils are in ideal condition to plow moderately fair, rains will dissolve and settle the lower part of the freshly plowed ground, but this cannot be de- pended on; so spare no time in quickly getting the lower portion of the furrow slice fine and firm, leaving the top somewhat coarse and loose. This prompt action is especially important to offset bad effects that will come if there follows closely a period of hot, dry weather. The quicker the seed and root bed are put into condition after plowing, to carry the proper per cent of air and water, the greater are your chances for a high limit in yield from a small amount of water. CLASS V KEEPING UP TILLAGE The fifth thing to remember is to improve the seed and root bed by every subsequent act of tillage f prior to planting. In other words, let the work all be timely and of the right kind, that at plant- ing time there will be most favorable conditions for quick germination of seed and rapid growth of roots. This will also aid nature in her further liberation of plant food. The favorable time for crop making is when the seed and root bed is fine and firm and carrying a high per cent of moisture, with the proper amount of air and the right 14 Progressive Agriculture degree of warmth. To obtain rapid healthy growth of all cultivated plants there must be at all times a liberal amount of moisture at the top of the firm soil just below the loose soil mulch. The farmer will try every concievable plan to obtain this, for it means much. The simple keep- ing out of the weeds, where the atmosphere is dry or low in humidity, is not enough. The cultiva- tion must be deep enough and frequent enough to obtain those conditions that will assure, as far as possible, a continuous moist character to the top of the firm soil or root bed. CLASS VI PLANTING The sixth is the matter of planting the seed, and in this we must consider how much of each kind of seed to plant or sow, also, when to do the plant- ing. In considering both quantity of seed and time of planting, due consideration must be given to the physical condition of the seed bed and quantity of available moisture. Success or failure often depends almost entirely on the time of planting and quantity of seed. Later planting than is now common, if preceded by careful spring tillage, will bring increased yields, as a rule, and frequently defeat the ill effects of a drouth. Not infrequently is it true that a well fitted field fails in reaching its best results because of too much seed. CLASS VII CULTIVATION The most vital part of tillage, after all else has been said, is the cultivation of the crop. Progressive Agriculture 15 It is to the advantage of every farmer to observe and make continual study of his work until he clearly understands why any and all crops are cultivated after planting. Each time there is any mechanical work done the effort should be to better the soil condition for healthier and quicker growth, and a more prolific yield from the plant. The better you know what the soil conditions should be the more effective will all your work be. To get the most good out of labor there must be timely and correct application. Vital questions in the cultivation of crops, to which greatest care must be given, are cultiva- tion to keep the weeds down, for the weed pest is a growing one; to keep the mulch coarse and loose to a sufficient depth; and to prevent as far as possible moisture loss by evaporation; but never cultivate deep enough to destroy the roots of the growing plants. Don't let a crust form on the surface or under the mulch. This brief outline should be studied well before proceeding, as it will greatly aid the reader in understanding and appreciating each of the follow- ing chapters. The thoughts involved will be developed more in detail in various ways in the following chapters. 16 Progressive Agriculture CHAPTER II FARM POSSIBILITIES Agriculture is not a completed or perfected science. The end has not been reached. We are going forward and every man who becomes some- where near as interested as Edison has in elec- tricity, will learn new and progressive ideas and principles for years to come. There is advancement in other lines of human endeavor, in everything that contributes to the convenience and comfort of the human race; why not, also, in the art of aiding Nature in the pro- duction of useful crops on a more certain basis. Better and more profitable farming in the semi- humid sections means a greatly increased farm population and more and larger towns and cities. There are millions of acres of unoccupied lands, waiting for the "Home Maker". Not for the man that ignores better and more correct and appropriate ideas and insists on redeeming the country by very deep plowing or some other notion that may apply under 30 to 50 inch annual rainfall for he is liable to fail just the same as thousands have in the past. But to the man who will apply modern ideas, study the question care- fully and continue to modernize, there are many vacant fields that can be made to bloom like Mr. Hahn's rose garden. (See Cut No. 2.) We are all by environment made skeptics and it is true we are suspicious of any new idea or advanced theory. Some of us are not even willing Progressive Agriculture 17 to be shown. We are all inclined to be selfish and to be filled with egotism. Each one of us thinks his way is the best and what he does is right. But mistakes are so easy, yes, we have all made mistakes. And while we dislike to admit or take the blame for any losses from our mistakes, we all are hoping right down in our hearts to do better and to accomplish more, yes, much more some day. We do not want to stay in the rut, so to speak, however much we deny there is any rut, and we note with pride the very marked advancement and improvement in all other lines such as in automobiles, flying machines, wireless telegraphy, wireless telephones, moving pictures and phono- graphs, all of which contribute to our comfort, pleasure and entertainment, and we rejoice, then why should we be content with the present farm methods and their uncertain and sometimes meager profits. When we consider what has been done we can but realize there may be some further advance- ment and improvement in the many practical lines of farm work, if we put forth a little mental, as well as physical effort. Observe, see things, then do some real thinking. We are sure this will result in a more certain annual cash income per acre. What was it that gave us, only a few years ago, such little faith in farm results? Why was it so difficult to keep good men on the farms and at work along lines that we know ought to be most profitable? Why so much discouragement? Were it possible for the average farmer to turn to bus- 18 Progressive Agriculture iness and professional callings and succeed with no more real knowledge of the business than is displayed by him in his farm work, the farming industry would long ago have been abandoned. Too many however, have already tried such a change and find even greater and equally per- plexing problems to be solved. Really, when we come to know the soil we find it more submissive and much more responsive to good treatment than the human race. The real fact is that, as farming has been done, there is much cause for discouragement that is hard to overcome, and it is due to the occasional years of big crops, then a few years of fair crops, interspersed with crop failures, and as we were in- clined to rely on the weather, it is no wonder that under these conditions, as they have prevailed, we are continually out of balance, in debt and faith shaken. Prosperous and happy farm homes are the hope and ambition of every man and his family who are endeavoring to so plan their labors on the farm that there may be each and every year a little surplus profit. Though this may be modest, if it comes every year it lends enchantment, but when they find the profits of two or three years wiped out by crop failure the next year, they not only find their cash short, but their courage and energy depleted and we all know what follows. Not only is the home minus the cash for the nee- cessaries and comforts, much less for pleasures, but sorrow and peevishness too often pervade the home circle, under which condition many Progressive Agricukure 19 things are done at a disadvantage and loss until hope for better things almost or quite fades away. The experience of our New England fore- fathers was a beautiful illustration of the point we wish to make. They were principally farmers on a modest scale, they did not make much each year, but every year found their holdings and conditions slightly improved because of the safe and sure methods and contentment and happiness pervaded every home. Many thousand dollars have in the past been loaned for our western development by individual New England farmers, who started on 60, 80 or 100 acres of timbered land with little capital out- side of a strong physique and ample energy, but from the start a little was added every year until there was a surplus. Not that we would go back to the old narrow, modest routine grind of our forefathers, but be- fore any country, state or section can be on a stable, prosperous basis, gambling and extreme uncertainty of success must be very largely eliminated, and one of the heavy screws in the balance wheel to this question is, to prevent crop failure or even a small crop, and it is the ease with which we believe this can be done by tillage of the right kind at the proper time that prompts us to beckon the man of modest means to the new semi-humid west, and to say to those who are now located in this great belt, "Eureka". Don't misunderstand us. We wish our reader to look the situation squarely in the face and then no matter who you are or where you are, you will 20 Progressive Agriculture not be disappointed in the outcome. We shall show you big crops that have made big profits. We have a few farmers that are getting these big profits every year, both in years of very light rainfall and heavy rainfall. We shall try to explain to you how to do it, and if you become interested and really try, you can easily beat any record we have, but the great- est source of enthusiasm with us is based on the fact that crop failure in this great belt will not occur to any man, barring hail storms and cyclones who becomes familiar with the principles and applies them as we now understand them; there- fore, the possible steady annual farm profit, so much needed. We personally know many who have overcome, to some degree, the handicap under which they formerly labored, and by a little careful thinking have vastly improved their situation, and are still improving. They have endeavored earnestly to make progress and to follow the principles that we developed and commenced to advocate a good many years ago. Many of them stand ready to testify to the good results attained by actually getting out of the old ruts and applying plain and sensible methods to the newer problems of their immediate Me. SUCCESS WITH RIGHT PRINCIPLES While many have succeeded by following the right principles it is also a fact that others have honestly but modestly tried to do the same thing and have failed. It is these failures that have Progressive Agriculture 21 made the most noise over the widened scope of country and have given opportunity for doubters to declare there is nothing in tillage, no rules can be fixed, no way to succeed in the semi-humid country, and that "it won't work in drouthy years". The trouble is that they may have tried to apply the principles without trying to under- stand them. They have sought merely to do what they have supposed was necessary without really knowing why, then followed the disappointment. This fact should be realized at the outset, that farming is one art where it may not be possible to lay down any hard mechanical rules that will fit every case; for example, a moist soil may be plowed 6 to 7 inches deep and with timely tillage be immediately worked into a perfect seed bed, while the same soil when wet or dry cannot. Many have tried the latter and failed without realizing that the mistake in their own work caused the failure. The same rule applies in put- ting the seed into the soil, or in the cultivation of the crop, a different amount of moisture will bring different soil conditions from the same mechanical work. Conditions change climate, soil, eleva- tion, water, winds, etc. But certain general prin- ciples can be stated that will help the farmer to meet all the changing conditions, just the same as the correct principles were worked out to build a successful flying machine. This means simply the correct application of true or scientific prin- ciples to agriculture. That doesn't mean any- thing hard to understand, or for the use of college professors alone; not at all, for science may be 22 Progressive Agriculture simple and still be science, it only means the correct way and time of doing things. Those who chiefly for selfish reasons, decried all efforts to improve the conditions of the semi- humid regions, are far less in number than a few years ago. When an extra large yield of any crop is obtained, there are still those who say it is impractical, it cost more than the crop is worth, it don't pay. Hold on, Mr. Pessimist; the next field may not cost as much, a little more of the know how, and a little efficiency may materially diminish the cost and further increase the next crop. No idea was ever conceived, or learned and perfected in a day. The first question in a new undertaking is, can it be done? Then comes the efficiency and reduction to a system and the elimination of cost without decreasing the value of the device or principle. There are some who continue to deny that anything can be done to make matters better. They refuse to look about and know the truth, for it is the truth that every- where, all through the semi-humid region, great things have been accomplished wherever men have tried earnestly, and with open minds, to get at the facts. If you want to get at the true situation just call on any one of these farmers who have learned the how, and got results for a number of years. You will find him stronger in the faith and learning more each year. One only needs but to make inquiry to find that very much progress has been made on sound principles, towards better and surer crops all through the country. Progressive Agriculture 23 EVERY FARMER AN INVESTIGATOR It must be remembered, however, that most of this is still in the experimental stage. Every farmer must be an experimentor in his efforts to learn, but he must have some fundamental prin- ciples upon which to base his experiments or he is quite sure to go wrong either in his work or in his conclusions as to the why of his results. He must study and investigate, if he fails, try to find out why he failed. Don't give up. Every little helps. A great deal more in the future is to come right from the farms as the result of in- telligence, tillage and observation by good think- ing, persistent farmers, than any other way, because such individual farmers go at the experi- ments in a practical way and his observing neigh- bors, hungry for information, take note and appreciate a neighbor's advice. It is said that before Edison produced the first successful incandescent light, he had used in his experiments over three thousand elements or combinations of elements. Why did he persist in so many trials, in face of repeated failures? He believed it could be done, and he did it. So, too, can the farmers all solve the question of surer and better crops at a lower cost. The pessimist who watched Edison finally saw a bright light, later he saw a still brighter one, and then a much brighter one, for not only has the first Edison light been many times Improved and made better, but the cost of the light and globes have steadily decreased through other ingenious and advanced 24 Progressive Agriculture ideas not at first thought of. The same will be true of the farmer of the semi-humid west and it is through more timely and more correct tillage that shall more accurately utilize nature's elements that we can and will populate these prairies with prosperous farmers, and beautiful farm homes, and happy will be the farmer and his family who grasps these principles and gets busy. In the following pages we shall deal with the whole subject broadly. We will present all the results of our later observations and the selection of correct principles, and this with a better under- standing of some of the earlier ideas we have put forth, we hope to clearly explain to the farmer the more advanced ideas and how he can carry out experiments in soil tillage and learn how with greater certainty to reach the maximum yield at a minimum cost each and every year, and crop failure in the semi-humid west be a thing of the past. Experiments should be small to begin with, not that the principles may be wrong, but you may not have a correct understanding of every detail. It is with practical experience and observation that the perplexing questions are cleared up and when clearly understood one frequently wonders why he did not so understand it before. Remember this is the age of progression, the old heads of our largest business institutions are hiring experts on special lines at fabulous salaries to promote the methods of advanced efficiency and greater economy; in short, the heads of every known enterprise, business or profession are try- Progressive Agriculture 25 ing to better know their business and how to more profitably run it. Once you learn how to increase not only the magnitude but certainty of the crop or decrease the cost, it will not only be your perpetual profit, but to your children and grandchildren will come greater profits made possible by you. MR. G. w. HAHN'S HOME Mr. G. W. Hahn the subject of this sketch, came to Yuma, Colo, in the spring of 1910 and filed his homestead claim on 160 acres of land 6 miles northeast of Yuma, Colo. Coming from eastern Nebraska, with a very modest amount of money that he had accumulated by several years' renting land, Mr. Hahn came there with the idea that he could at least make a living for his family and have a home of his own. After learning something of the possibilities of the right kind of tillage in growing trees, crops and vegetables, he got busy. Mr. Hahn has made a success of wheat and other crops and is now quite well supplied with hogs and cattle. In 1914 his 40 acre summer tilled field of winter wheat averaged 41| bushels per acre. But Mr. Hahn has turned some of his good judgment to another line, that of having a real home with not only civilized but beautiful surroundings. Note Cut No. 2, which shows only half of his front yard, as the other side of the walk is just the same. This picture was taken June 29, 1914, a somewhat dry year. One rose bush near the 26 Prgroessive Agriculture center had at that time 43 double roses in full bloom. To the right is his small fruit, also a modest grape arbor and still further to the right his vegetable garden, and all were equally as prolific as this flower garden, no irrigation what- ever is or has been resorted to for the flowers, fruit or vegetables. Tillage of the right kind changed the bleak, short grass prairie to this beautiful home in 4 years. No one ever visits the Hahn home in the summer season and goes away without a bouquet. Cut No. 4 shows the corner of Mr. Hahn's farm as well as the yard surrounding his home. This picture was a^o taken June 29, 1914. Note the sign over the gate, "ROSE HILL FARM". The name is very appropriate in every way except the hill and yet close observation detects the fact that he is on a slight swell. Cut No. 5 shows a row of Mr. Hahn's apple trees five years old, photographed July 11, 1915. To the right and back of the front tree can be seen the home. Why did not the earlier settlers have such homes? Was the rainfall too light? Oh no; statistics show that the average rainfall from 1910 to 1914 inclusive was slightly lower than any previous five years recorded, and these are the years that Mr. Hahn got his convincing results, due not to weather conditions but kind and time of tillage. Mr. Hahn said in a letter dated, June 29, 1915: "One year ago today, you took your first pic- ture of our trees and flower garden, we have had more than twice as much rain but nothing looks Progressive Agriculture 27 as good as last year. We can't cultivate, it's too wet. I see now the correctness of a statement I heard you make three years ago, that sometime the people would realize that the light rainfall of northeast Colorado was a blessing in disguise. I see it now; give me the dryer years. Yours for more knowledge in Tillage, G. W. HAHN." CHAPTER III PREPARATION BEFORE SEEDING The early spring fitting of the soil has been given far too little attention in the past. The control and utility of soil water is and has been the most neglected part in crop production. For years we have depended on the climatic conditions as the ruling factor in crop production; this theory has cost the semi-humid west many a heart- ache and millions of money. The solution of this whole problem is a better knowledge of the necessary physical condition of the soil for the better control of soil water and how by tillage, to obtain it. Some advantages of this have been secured by many farmers through a modest prac- tice of early spring disking; yet the real value of early spring tillage and the continued careful handling of the fields up to planting time, is by no means understood or appreciated by the masses. There is unlimited evidence that it cannot be too strongly advocated and adhered to in almost 28 Progressive Agriculture any farming section. More especially is this true under semi-humid conditions. If the principles as outlined under this heading, are carefully observed and carried out, it will go a long way towards, if not completely defeat the ill effect of any drouthy condition on good soil or in any locality with an average annual rainfall of 15 inches or more. We shall divide this preparatory tillage into three distinct classes: Spring tillage, for spring and early summer planting; summer tillage for fall seeding of winter wheat, oats or rye; and fall tillage for other crops to follow the one just harvested. The continued careful work referred to does not necessarily mean a greatly increased amount of labor, but it has reference more to timeliness and the right kind of work. It is not uncommon for a farmer in the start to put on his field untimely as well as so much work that it is a detriment. Economy in labor adds to the cash profit just the same as increased crop yield, but one must not economize in labor at the cost of a lesser yield in the end. Don't let one dollar's worth of extra timely work loom up so high that you can't see beyond it five dollars more crop yield in return. SPRING TILLAGE Spring tillage is a somewhat new departure as its object is to make it possible to grow spring planted crops every year in much of the semi- humid section. Our three years of extensive experiments just past indicate that it promises much more than our plan of summer tilling out- Progressive Agriculture 29 lined some years ago, emphatically so to the new beginner and to the man who has hogs and cows. In discussing this topic what we wish to consider first is how to most successfully and economically conserve as far as possible all the rainfall. Second, how to utilize this moisture to the best advantage in building up the soil and increasing the available plant food. Third, how to get the seed and root bed in the most ideal condition possible for quick germination, and a rapid healthy growth. We hold to the importance of keeping the surface soil loose and allowing no weeds to grow, that the same moisture may be held in the top firm soil until not only this soil has become well wanned, but the weather has settled down to a more steady warm temperature, when a much greater per cent of plant food will be continuously available. Then during the prolonged period of spring tillage there may be added more spring moisture, and by holding this condition for 4 to possibly 8 weeks before planting, depending on both the kind of crop and location, you can produce three to six times the growth as has been the common ex- perience with the same rainfall, the result of a more complete utilizing of the soil water and a greater increase of available plant food. All cultivated land especially if intended for the spring crop should receive attention just as early in the spring as it is possible to do anything. Fall plowed land should be loosened rather shal- low, but land not fall plowed should be double disked as early as soil conditions will permit. The tandem or double-disk, (See Cut No. 23.) 30 Progressive Agriculture is the most effective for double-disking in the fields, as it is more easily regulated as to the proper depth, draws lighter in proportion to the work it does and leaves the surface leveler than the single disk. As a rule it is not desirable to disk deeply in early spring, but more on the shallow order. With a reasonably level surface, two and one-half inches into the soil is ample, but do not as a rule, cut very much less in depth, too shallow is as serious as too deep. Above all things, do not leave any uncultivated spots. Do not follow the disk with a spike tooth or smoothing harrow, as this is liable to make the surface too fine, and a fine dust-like surface does not hold the moisture as well as a coarser mulch. Besides, the fine mulch is more susceptible to blowing, and last but not least it is more certain to be puddled and packed by fairly heavy showers, (See Cut No. 9) which means also that a smaller quantity of the water will be taken in from the rains, since more of it will run off the puddled surface of the field and be lost, and then another cultivation will be required as soon as the surface is sufficiently dry. The coarser mulch is, therefore, more econom- ical, as it takes in the rains more readily, saves more of the water and requires less labor. With the coarser mulch, several light rains may fall without seriously affecting the protection of the moisture by the mulch; (See Cut No. 8), while the fine dust like mulch is usually put out of commission by one modest shower. At no time of the season is the danger of loss Progressive Agriculture 31 of water more vital than during the early spring winds and bright sunshine. That is why the early use of the disk is so very important. In case the farmer is planning to plant corn with a lister months later, plowing is not desirable and this early disking and continued spring tillage, until soil is warm, is vital to large yields and certainty of a profitable crop. One careful trial will convince. If, however, the farmer expects to plow the ground for oats, potatoes, checkrowed corn, feterita, sudan grass, hog millet or any other crop, the early disking is of great importance. In fact, without this early disking followed with later timely spring tillage to keep the surface loose and prevent the loss of water and the weeds growing, the soil will deteriorate before planting time, and its available water and plant food will be less. This would mean that the crop would be smaller no matter what the season may be, but very much less, or a possible failure, in a drouthy year. Early and continued spring tillage not only con- serves the moisture, but aids in warming the soil. As previously stated, every act of preparation of the soil, disking, plowing, packing and surface cultivation, should be done with a full under- standing of its purpose or object. The entire work must be done to improve the soil condition with special effort to obtain the fine firm seed and root bed with loose coarse mulch. All stages of this work if done, so far as possible, at a time when the soil is moist, will then be more suscept- ible to the desired effect of the implement used. 32 Progressive Agriculture All this aids in obtaining a higher degree of warmth and the proper per cent of moisture, both of which are so necessary in increasing the avail- able plant food. Timeliness in tillage and not quantity of work is the essence of success in this. Land that is to be planted to small grain or checkrowed corn, should be plowed fairly early after the early disking, in fact the earlier it is plowed, providing the soil is moist, the greater are the chances for a more ideal seed bed at planting time, both from more tillage and a greater possible rain, good rains are necessary after plowing to obtain the most ideal seed beds. The farmer must grasp at once in connection with this idea of more and better tillage before planting, the fact that it takes a larger number of days to grow and mature a plant if the seed is planted early in a cold, half prepared, dead, clammy soil than if planted later in a live warm soil. Warmth gives energy to the soil and energy stimulates growth, and the coaching of this energy by the right kind of spring tillage, is wonderfully effective. Plowing should be a fair depth from 5 to 7 inches, depending on conditions previously re- ferred to, but do not leave the freshly plowed ground to dry out, follow closely with the sub- surface packer or disk set straight. Remember, you are now preparing the seed and root bed in which the plants are to be born, fed and matured. Don't make any mistakes. For later cultivation and before planting the Acme harrow is very good, (See Cut No. 35), as it tends to turn the live moist Progressive Agriculture 33 dirt at the bottom of the mulch up to the top and leaves the firm soil underneath level. Continue this spring tillage at necessary times until the time of planting. It is the open door to better crops every year instead of every other year. Don't let the weeds grow, and get it thoroughly fixed in your mind, that if your tillage efforts are well directed you are continually adding to the elements, and improving the condition necessary for a big crop as you carry this work on into the warm spring weather to the time of planting sug- gested for the different crops referred to later on. SUMMER TILLAGE Summer tillage should be identical with spring tillage in the start, for recent experience points to the great value of the early thorough work. The plowing, however, in summer tillage should be delayed and the disk used mainly during the early spring. In short summer tillage is a con- tinuation of spring tillage for fall seeding. Where summer tillage is planned, the early spring disking should be rather shallow so that later disking can be slightly deeper, thereby throwing a little live moist soil on the top, for the double purpose of keeping the mulch coarser, to prevent blowing, and to keep the surface more open to admit later rains. It is better to use the disk mainly or entirely when possible up to the time of plowing. There again, timeliness is more than quantity of work. 34 Progressive Agriculture PLOWING THE SUMMER TILLED LAND Plowing as a rule, in the central west should be in early June; later plowing is somewhat risky, for if the rains do not come the excessive heat later on, last of July or in August, may dry out the plowed portion to that degree that practically no chemical or bacterial action will take place. If there is no weed growth to bother your field, for a considerable time after plowing, you may know your seed and root bed is not up to the stand- ard; therefore when the wheat or other seed is deposited in such seed beds the germination and growth is very slow and stooling very little in the fall. The same will be proportionately true in the early growth the following spring. At any time and in many seasons of the year when you are preparing your seed bed you must keep close tab on the real condition you are getting your soil into. This real soil condition must also be given due consideration in deciding the quantity of seed to be put in per acre, and more especially so in fall seeding for winter wheat. Fields with unfavorable conditions require more seed. Be sure to follow the plow closely with some method of packing the bottom of the furrow, but don't attempt to do it by pulling any solid roller or clod crusher over the field for it only firms the top and does not pack the bottom, which is the vital point and especially so if you have plowed five inches or more in depth. There have been some mistakes made in the past by using the sub-surface packer, after the Progressive Agriculture 35 plowing had lain long enough to become some- what dry, under which conditions the soil would not respond to the pressure of the wheels and the very under portion would not become firm. There- fore, if a dry season followed, the desired effect was lost and the packer condemned because it did not do what could not be done. Another very serious mistake, after the sub- surface packer has been used effectively, the top may become packed by later rains. Now with the lower portion of the furrow made firm by the sub- surface packer, when the top becomes dissolved and packed by heavy rains, as it will, especially if a free use of the spike tooth harrow has made the mulch fine, you then have the most serious condition, because it so greatly aids the upward movement of moisture by capillary attraction to the surface and direct loss by evaporation. This water brings to the surface alkali, magnesia and other salts of the soil in a dissolved or soluable form, and when the steam or vapor leaves the surface the dry salts are left between the soil grains. This with the loss of the moisture causes a most unfavorable condition for the growth and maturity of the plant. Do such conditions give ground for the argument, that there are times the subsurface packer should not be used? It certainly does not. The things that should not have been done were first, not to allow the surface to be- come so fine that rains would settle it so firm; second, not to allow the surface to remain firm after the rain. A mulch should be kept over the surface as near 36 Progressive Agriculture two and a half inches deep as conditions will permit and all possible effort put forth to leave it reasonably coarse. Another important thing is, do not let the weeds grow. A few weeds will make several bushels difference in the yield. If weeds persist in growing, it is an indication of a good seed bed and that plant food is being in- creased, therefore, get busy, for the more the weeds take of this the less you will have for the crop. Then if the weeds get any size they will not only utilize plant food but deplete the moisture to such a degree as to check bacterial or chemical action. Watch these points closely. A little timely work prevents all these unfavorable con- ditions and means many more bushels of grain. While it is true that early June plowing followed by persistent work to get the lower portion of the furrow fine and firm will tend to more weed growth, yet if the weeds are kept down andfsoil mulch loose to a depth of about two and a half inches, a more ideal seed and root bed will be obtained and an increased amount of plant food will be avail- able. This fact leads to an important question which will be more fully discussed later on and that is quantity of seed. Too frequently we find the farmer sowing 20 pounds of fall wheat per acre with little regard to the real soil condition ob- tained. Summer tillage may be so handled that 12 to 15 pounds of winter wheat per acre planted reasonably early would stool so liberally that it would have to be disked in the spring to thin it; while a less carefully handled field might be seeded a little later with 25 to 30 pounds of seed and yet Progressive Agriculture 37 be none too thick. These facts mean very much and must be duly considered, in case of late seed- ing to keep clear of the ravages of the Hessian fly more seed would be necessary. FALL TILLAGE Fall tillage as we wish to indicate, refers to the work following the harvest of one crop and the preparation of the land for the next crop, whether it be for fall or spring planting. The first very important step is to follow the harvester with the disk harrow, as shown in Cut No. 21 showing engine pulling harvester and tandem disk, and Cut No. 22 showing horses pulling tandem disk. There is no time when ample moisture means more in the soil than during the hot weather following the cutting of a crop of small grain in July or August. This is especially true of winter wheat fields. Many have said in the past, " What's the use of disking dry ground behind the harvester? " This points to the honest, but stubborn belief of men who have never watched the effect of such work. We have repeatedly observed the soil dry at the bottom of the disked stubble ground just as the disk harrow passed over reasonably close to the harvester and then again, at the end of ten days or two weeks, even though it was hot, dry weather and no rain, and the result of the upward movement of moisture by capillary attraction found this same firm soil moist enough to plow well. It is the accumulation of this moisture in this 38 Progressive Agriculture very warm soil held there by the mulch loosened by the disk that sets the little micro-organisms busy building up the life and energy in the soil. Another very important point is that the mulch formed by the stubble being mixed into this loosened surface which is not readily settled or packed by almost any number of rains, does readily take in each rain and when the water comes in contact with the firm but moist soil below the mulch, it percolates down more readily and deeper. All the moisture you store in your soil is like so much cash in the bank. When the top soil is not disked but left hard, soon after harvest it is not infrequently found dry down four to six inches. Following this condition there may be quite a rain and in two days of hot sun it is all gone, because it goes into the dry, firm soil so very slow that the heat of the summer sun aided by the reflection of the glossy stubble takes it up quickly. Remember a little moisture sometimes means very much. Following this disking and before you are ready to plow one or two heavy rains may come, then the weeds may start. Do not let these weeds grow to any size. You have already been to the expense of one disking for a worthy purpose, now don't let the weeds later on, utilize this moisture and dry out the land then try to plow and say there is no value to disking after the harvester, for the worthless weeds have robbed you. Give the field another double-disking if you are not ready to plow at once. At all hazards, don't let the weeds grow, and then think you are adding Progressive Agriculture 39 something to your soil by turning under green weeds. We have repeatedly seen fields that were well double-disked following the harvester in July in elegant condition and being plowed four to six weeks later with soil rolling over nice and moist, when adjoining fields not thus treated were so dry and hard that plowing was impossible. Do not forget the following seven advantages in double-disking after the harvester. 1. Retains the moisture you may need next year. 2. Soil becomes moist while very warm and more plant food is made available. 3. Soil becomes moist and plowing can be suc- cessfully done earlier and later. 4. Prolongs the period of good plowing. 5. Soil plowed mo st can be worked down into a good seed bed while dry soil cannot. 6. Moist soil saves plow shears and horse power. 7. It all sums up into a foundation for bigger and better crops next year. PLOWING FOR WINTER WHEAT Plowing in fall tilling for wheat should begin as soon after harvest as the soil is sufficiently moist to permit good plowing. If the land has been well handled and a fair amount of moisture had fallen prior to harvest and the wheat field disked after the harvester, there will soon be found moisture enough to plow well. The depth of plowing should be from 5 to 7 inches depending, as previously stated, upon soil conditions. Follow- 40 Progressive Agriculture ing the plowing should come the working down of the lower portion of the furrow slice. Very much depends on this as to the amount of seed per acre. With all sub-packing that can be done on fall plowing for fall wheat seeding, nothing can com- plete the work quite like a good rain (but such rain don't come to order) that freely percolates down through the coarse mulch and to a more or less degree dissolves and settles the lower part of the plowing. Its great value depends, of course, upon how soon after the plowing it comes and how much falls. After the rain, if a heavy one, the top should be loosened again. Some judgment must be used at this point. While it is desirable to have the seed bed fine, the top or mulch should be kept somewhat coarse. For further information see chapter on growing wheat. CHAPTER IV CORN AND STAPLE CROP Corn is one of the essential crops of successful agriculture. In almost every farming region, though wheat may be the farmer's staple crop, he must have a few hogs, cows and also teams to do his work, and corn is one of the grains much needed for feed. In addition it is a fact, that suc- cessful and safe farming must be backed by stock and dairy products. Therefore, the absolute necessity of ample quantities of good corn. Progressive Agriculture 41 In the chapter on preparation of the soil we have briefly outlined the necessary early work which applies to planting corn with lister, in which case plowing is not necessary. While we do not object to fall plowing for corn, yet we are of the opinion that where spring plowing is done reasonably early and is preceded with thorough but not deep disking and followed closely with plenty of harrowing and later timely tillage, that spring plowing is best. As to depth of plowing observe what is said under Class III. As to check row planting as opposed to use of the lister or drilling, we are still somewhat in favor of check rowing for corn in all the semi-humid sections. But the farmer must be equipped with the proper tools and continue the cultivation with proper care until the corn is practically made. However, if you wish to put the corn in the ground and let Providence take care of it, we would advise the listing plan, as providence would have a better chance than if the field was check rowed. SEED CORN In selecting seed corn to plant outside of the corn belt proper, and in higher altitudes, or farther north, and as you change in location to- ward the two points referred to, study the con- ditions that are found and do not make too radical a change in the seed. Do not select too large varieties for the dryer or higher sections but look for a slightly smaller ear with early maturing 42 Progressive Agriculture qualities. Keep in mind especially the average annual rainfall of your own locality, and the fact that the larger the growth of foliage the more moisture is needed and the less moisture is left for use in maturing the ears and grain. This is important should you be confronted with the usual drouthy conditions in mid-summer. With the smaller stalk, other important matters considered, the corn might produce in average seasons, one 8-ounce ear to each stalk. Under same conditions the larger variety with taller stalk and heavy foliage might possibly produce an average of one 10-ounce ear to two stalks. This would be little more than half the yield of corn, which is quite in accord with our observa- tions covering many experiments under various conditions. Above all other things secure, if possible, ac- climated seed corn; but if this is not available next in consideration is a seed that has been grown as nearly as possible under conditions simrar to that in your fields. The selection of the earliest well developed, uniform ears from strong, healthy, prolific plants in your own fields, after you get a desirable variety, is also very important. The development and planting of acclimated seed is one of the main factors making it possible to successfully carry the limits of the corn belt farther north and to higher altitudes, something regarded a few years ago theoretically as an impossibility, but stands today demonstrated as a possibility. Progressive Agriculture 43 THICK OR THIN PLANTING The number of stalks per acre is another very vital question to consider in corn growing under semi-humid conditions. With corn checked 3 feet and 6 inches each way and two stalks to a hill, there would be 7,112 stalks per acre, which is ample stand for a 30-inch average rainfall. If listed 3 feet 6 inches apart and one grain dropped every 21 inches there would be the same number of stalks to the acre. With one 8-ounce ear per stalk you would have a yield of 63 bushels per acre remember an 8-ounce ear is moderately small, a 12-ounce ear is only modestly fair size But this is too many stalks by at least a third for a section with only 16 to 20 inches of annual rainfall. It is true that many corn fields in the semi- humid sections may not average more than 4,556 stalks to the acre, under conditions of planting as above. But are they evenly distributed well, hardly ever. Too thin a stand, however, has its disadvantages the same as too thick; an even stand over the entire field is more important under semi-humid conditions than where ample rains are more dependable, thick spots and thin spots will not deliver. That a thinner stand may mean much was evidenced in the recent drouthy years when we had a number of field experiments in western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado with fields of corn where rows were planted 7 feet apart, or 44 Progressive Agriculture skipping every other row, and the spaces between were kept well cultivated, and this with excellent results, in some instances the yield of corn was quite as much as in fields with rows 3 feet 6 inches apart. The illustration is a little radical yet it points to the correctness of the principle. Do not jump at conclusions; reason well this question. True, if you are planting for a crop of ensilage, plant thicker, but even then a stalk every 18 inches is enough for certain results from anything below a 20-inch rainfall. We are strong believers in corn rows farther apart at least four feet but most cultivators are not wide enough to cover this width, and change in the width of planting would mean change of cultivators. This kind of plant- ing however, would give each plant more pasture and facilitate later cultivation. Good seed that will practically all grow is very important, for in no other way can an even stand be obtained. CORN CULTIVATION Cultivation is referred to in Class VII, as the final and vital act of tillage for corn. The precise time, manner and depth of cultivation of any crop means much more to the final yield than is generally realized, and must be carried out with a system which recognizes at least the following six important factors. 1. To keep all weeds from growing. 2. To cultivate the crop and not plow it. 3. To carry a somewhat coarse mulch and not a dust blanket over the surface. Progressive Agriculture 45 4. To allow practically no moisture to escape by direct evaporation from the surface. 5. To use every possible precaution in pre- venting any crust from forming under the mulch or on the surface. 6. To destroy no roots of the corn during its entire growth, but more especially observe this point after the corn begins to show tassels. HARROW AND CULTIVATOR If you have disked your land early and kept up careful cultivation, as suggested under the head- ing of early spring fitting, you have gone a long way towards cleaning the field of weeds and mak- ing it possible to keep it free. If the land was plowed early, followed by a good fitting and corn planted with a check rower, one or two good harrowings will again set the possible crop of small weeds back and aid greatly in holding the desirable per cent of moisture at the top of the firm soil. From the time the corn plant has its third leaf well out to the time the corn is 10 inches high, the spike tooth harrow provides good and cheap cultivation, especially if your land is free of trash and where the average sand loam predominates, which is the soil most commonly found in semi- humid sections. The riding cultivator, with three shovels on a side, is about as good as any now available in corn culture. We greatly need up-to-date culti- vators that will cover either two or three rows at a time, as desired, for from the time the corn is 46 Progressive Agriculture 18 inches to 4 feet high quick and effective culti- vation is frequently vital. This is the period above all others that steady, rapid unchecked growth is desirable. The first cultivation after the harrow should be the deepest, but should not exceed 3 inches in any event. Later cultivations should be changed very little as to depth, slightly shallower never deeper. You should watch very closely what you are doing next to the corn row to see to it that you are not destroying any of the roots that are sent out as the plant increases in size. PURPOSE OF CULTIVATION One of the great questions in the cultivation of corn is to know when and what kind of cultiva- tion will bring about the greatest improvement in soil conditions for steady rapid growth. The simple fact that you cultivate the corn, potatoes and other crops, five or six times and your neigh- bor only two times, does not of itself account for success or failure. That which brings sure re- sults is the right kind, manner and time of culti- vation. Don't know this, you say then you must learn it by observation and experience, and when you do it will be like finding a gold mine. Five cultivations intelligently and carefully ap- plied will always bring better results in corn or potatoes that two cultivations. Good crop results from tillage are in proportion to knowledge of the true principles, the "why" as well as the "how" and the intelligent handling of the tools. A glance at Cut No. 18, will give you a practical Progressive Agriculture 47 illustration of the effect of ample timely tillage on a crop of corn. This was grown on the C. B. & Q. farm at Holdrege, Nebraska in the drouthy years of 1910. The ground was double disked early and kept cultivated to hold moisture and keep out the weeds until about May 10, then planted with a lister, after which an effort was made to keep the surface loose and allow no weeds to grow, the ridges were worked down reasonably early before the corn was knee high. Although the rains were very few and far between before the corn was tasseled and ears well out, yet cultivation followed closely after each rain. Had there not been a liberal amount of moisture in the soil at the time of the first disking, the result of ample fall rains, we could not have grown the crop so completely. Now compare No. 19 with this crop, these two fields are on the same level prairie and on adjoin- ing quarters, only about 30 rods apart. No. 19, had the same amount of liberal moisture in the soil in the spring, but no disking, plowing or any- thing else was done to this field until the corn was listed in, at which time there was a liberal growth of weeds averaging about 6 inches high. The loss of moisture by direct evaporation and what was drawn out by the weeds reduced the moisture to that degree that the July drouth got the corn and by the tenth of August there was practically nothing green in the field, scarcely a tassel made its appearance. Did the weather make this wide difference? Yes, in a way, the hot weather and little rain dried up and ruined No. 19, and the same weather caused No. 18 to grow and mature, but timely tillage made it possible. 48 Progressive Agriculture Many have said in the past years; "What's the use, if it rains, we will get crops; if it doesn't rain, we will not." No more foolhardy idea was ever conceived. A glance at Cuts 18 and 19 is certainly somewhat convincing. To get the seed bed in good condition and keep it cultivated and clean of weeds, means nearly or quite as much to the size and quantity of the crop of corn in a wet year as in a dry year. The growing season of 1915 had the highest rainfall recorded in 26 years over a large portion of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad territory west of the Missouri river, and it gave a beautiful opportunity to observe and gather all kinds of positive evidence that the same careful application of principles in tillage that were applied for best crop results in drouthy years has brought proportionate larger yields in wet years and that where there was carelessness and less work applied the crops were smaller despite the abund- ance of moisture. In fact, in many sections the corn crop was not as good as in the dryer years. One of the interesting points which has been established by this unusual season of 1915 is that you must keep up your work, and to get behind in timely work means loss every time, wet or dry. In any and all seasons it is important to keep out the weeds and to keep the mulch loose and somewhat coarse. CULTIVATION OF LISTED CORN The use of the common spike tooth harrow early in cultivation of listed corn is hardly prac- Progressive Agriculture 49 tical; therefore, we must resort to such imple- ments as are commonly used. One point fully established, however, is that it is necessary to split the ridge a little earlier in the game than has been done heretofore. See Cut No. 20 and ob- serve the modest root growth from the smaller plant, then note the root growth from the larger one. In the latter you see that the roots have gone up near the surface of the solid soil in the firm center ridge. This condition is especially true if there have been no heavy rains to pack the loose dirt thrown up over the center at the time of listing. This somewhat loose condition of this top soil or mulch holds the moisture with the natural result that this firm soil, by being kept moist and becoming quite warm, because of the direct rays of the sun on both sides, soon becomes a most ideal feeding place for the roots, therefore, when they reach this point they spread and grow rapidly; millions of little feeders permeate this ridge, and at this precise stage of root development the plants may be seen to be putting forth a very rank, rapid, healthy growth: more especially you will note the dark green color. The corn at this stage is usually 12 to 20 inches high then you proceed to split the ridge with the result of destroying a very large per cent of the principal feeding roots, and what happens? If the weather should be hot and dry, the corn is seen to wilt more or less and the growth is checked. This set-back if dry weather continues may mean much to the final crop. If, however, 50 Progressive Agriculture good timely rains follow, the check in growth or change will be less noticeable. Endeavor to split the ridge before this period or condition of growth is reached, then you slip by the hazardous risk. Watch and study these conditions, for like many other chance conditions they can be largely overcome by timely and appro- priate tillage. LATE CULTIVATION OF CORN Do not forget, much less neglect, your corn field after the corn is too high for the riding cultivator. Be especially vigilant if you have a heavy rainfall that has a tendency to dissolve and settle, or to puddle the mulch after the last cultivation. Corn at this stage needs the closest care. If you have made no gross mistakes up to the time the corn is in full tassel, you have a fine chance for a good crop. Mistakes made prior to this time cannot be fully remedied by any amount of later care. For this late work in the corn field a 13-tooth garden cultivator is very good, but you must hold the rear teeth high enough to clear all main roots. A very good device for this last work in corn is an old mower wheel. Just hitch to a spoke and let the chain or rope come up over the rim at the front, making the hitch of the horse short enough so the lower edge of the front of the wheel will only clear the surface. This throws the bottom of the rear part of the jim forward with enough slant to just cut the surface and carry the dirt over the rim, dropping it loose behind. Progressive Agriculture 51 The number of cultivations of this late kind must depend on the soil and climatic conditions; not infrequently however, one or two is ample. The same importance attaches to later cultiva- tion of listed corn.as that given for check row corn. Later cultivation cannot be detrimental except that roots are destroyed. In the growing of corn for ensilage, the same careful and persistent pre- paration and cultivation will always pay, as it will mean more growth in fodder and more corn on the stalk for the silo. CHAPTER V NEW PROBLEMS IN CORN CULTURE Tradition has closed our eyes to a great many things that would make life sweeter and business better. It has gotten us into deep and long trodden ruts, and corn planting time in most sec- tions, is apparently one. Our father and his father planted their corn about May first to May tenth. We have been doing the same without a thought that under certain specific conditions it might be better to plant June first to June tenth. In theory it would take a month later in the fall to mature the corn should we delay a month in the spring from the old fixed manner and the time of planting. But theory does not always work out the correct conclusions. We have directed a number of practical ex- periments in recent seasons, in the semi-humid 52 Progressive Agriculture section, to determine just what is best as to the plan of prolonged spring tillage and later planting. These experiments demonstrate that where the fields are carefully tilled from early spring up to 2 to 4 weeks past the usual time of corn planting, the soil is warmer and more favorable to plant growth, and a better physical and higher fertile condition is brought about. The effect of this is to force the growth of corn to a degree that accli- mated corn will, under these conditions, mature at a date nearly or quite as early in the average season, if planted 2 to 4 weeks later than if planted at the usual time under more common conditions. And the late corn, as is shown, is likely to be more healthy and more capable of resisting disease, drouth and pests. RESULTS OF SPRING TILLAGE AND LATE PLANTING In this book we have given some illustrations from photographs of field showing what results are actually obtained by adapting the planting time to the conditions which are found. These pictures tell the story much better than it could be told in any other way. They will repay careful study and stand thorough investigation. The location is given in each case, so there can be verifications by anyone interested. A field of corn at Orleans, Nebraska, 237 miles west of the Missouri river, is shown in Cut No. 12. This field was planted July 1, 1914. The photo- graph was taken August 23, or 54 days from plant- ing, when the corn was nearly 6 feet high and beginning to tassel. When corn is planted under Progressive Agriculture 53 ordinary conditions on May 10, the farmer usually finds that on July 4, or 54 days from planting, the corn is up 18 to 24 inches, commonly termed "knee-high", or one fourth to one third as high as shown in this field at Orleans. This field was carefully spring tilled from early spring to time of planting. Do you understand the sig- nificance of this fact? Now we do not use Cut No. 12 to establish as a rule or principle that July 1 is the proper corn planting time. But it does show the truth of our previous statement as to the time it takes to make the same growth after the soil has been well and timely tilled and becomes warm, and the seed bed has been put into a more perfect condition by the tillage and the liberation of plant food by certain chemical action is under way, as against earlier planting with less preparatory tillage and colder soil. The same field is shown again in Cut No. 13, but the photograph was taken 30 days later, or 84 days from planting, showing the ears which matured. The corn in this case was not an early variety, but the common yellow dent. Four other fields were planted the same year, on June twenty-ninth and thirtieth, at points some 50 miles apart, not expecting, however, to raise finished corn but to obtain a better and more tender ensilage; but strange as it may seem every field not only matured corn, but at no time did the foliage show the ill effect of the prolonged hot, dry weather. It must be remembered that the season of 1914 54 Progressive Agriculture was very hot and dry and at the time, these five fields were at their best and well tasseled, most early planted corn was badly fired, while these five fields all remained green up to the late hard frost. The same rain fell on the fields that were so badly fired the last of August that fell on the five fields which made so much better growth and kept green well into October. Cut No. 14 is a field of corn at Sligo, Colorado, in the northeastern part of the state 150 miles north of Denver, planted May 12, 1915, on early disked ground and well fitted. As a further evidence of the correctness of our proposition re- garding the more rapid growth of later planting, when proper preparatory work is done, kindly contrast this with Cut No. 15, a field adjoining No. 14. This field was planted June 6, or 25 days later, but with the continued spring tilling of the soil from early spring up to time of planting. While the rainfall on these fields was almost double that of normal years, yet note the apparent stunted growth of the earlier planted field. Cut No. 16 is a row of shocks of corn cut from the field planted June 6, and photographed the same day as Nos. 14 and 15. This is given to show the marked growth of corn that can be obtained at the high altitude of 5,400 feet, in a cool season like 1915, and a total rainfall of 13^ inches from January first to September twenty- fifth. These cuts, Nos. 14, 15 and 16, tell their own story. It is proper tp explain that the photo for Cut No. 15 was taken after all the field except the three rows, had been cut, consequently the Progressive Agriculture 55 thin appearance of the corn field. It is well to add that this same farmer, Mr. W. W. Cockran, with only 7J inches of rain during the growing season in 1914, raised 540 bushels of good corn on 30 acres, also 700 bushels of wheat from 20 acres and 120 bushels of potatoes per acre. In connection with these three pictures and the brief facts given, don't fail to recognize that tillage of the right kind at the proper time and planting when the soil conditions had been made more favorable by this tillage, were ruling factors in the wide difference as to these results. The same weather conditions prevailed over both fields, as there was a distance of only 3 feet and 6 inches between them. OTHER RESULTS OBTAINED A field of corn at Holdrege, Nebraska, is shown in the illustration, Cut No. 17. This was in the dry year of 1914. The ground was disked early and kept clean of weeds with a loose surface layer maintained, corn listed June thirtieth, photo- graphed August 7, or 38 days after planting. The average height of the corn at the time the photo- graph was taken was 46 inches, or about double the height of the average corn on July fourth that had been planted May tenth. In other words, this corn made twice the growth in 38 days that the average early planted corn would make in 54 days. The ideal seed and root bed brought about by careful tillage, the warm soil and in- creased available plant food were the ruling factors in this remarkable growth in so short a period. 56 Progressive Agriculture Mr. Haun, at Haxton, Colorado, planted a part of his corn May 4, 1915, and the rest of it June first, with a similar experience, that of having his later planting grow tallest and rankest and maturing corn at about the same date as the early planted. Mr. Forrest of Brush, Colorado, planted part of his corn May 7, 1915 and the balance June 10, all in the same field, with same seed, an early maturing and acclimated variety. Four men were selected to estimate the crop of the two plantings on September twenty-fourth. They agreed that the late planting had produced more than three times as much fodder and more than two times as much corn ; that the late planting was less than one week behind in maturing although planted five weeks later; and that the early planted field was badly smutted while the later planting practically had no smut. Similar conditions were reported as to the ab- sence of smut in a number of other late planted fields. Thus it would seem that the earlier planted being more or less stunted and consequently less vigorous and weaker was more susceptible to disease than the late. This smut problem is a question that is worthy of your careful considera- tion, for it is very common some years in the central west to find the majority of corn fields developing much smut. The situation we have just referred to indicates that a more vigorous, healthy plant, the same as man or animal, has greater ability to ward off or resist disease. We have a number of letters from farmers expressing Progressive Agriculture 57 great surprise at the quickness and rankness of the growth of plants on well handled fields and late planted in 1913 and 1914 with their drouthy conditions and excessive heat; but with the cool season of 1915 and its excessive rainfall which has brought about such a difference in favor of early and continuous careful tillage and later planting by three and four weeks, which has been reported by more than forty farmers, we are earnestly in- clined to urge all farmers to try experiments, that they may see with their own eyes how easy they can not only slip by a modest drouth without injury to the crop, but very materially increase the growth and final yield. Remember distinctly our faith in the apparent advantage of this later planting is based almost wholly on the effect of early and continued timely tillage. CORN FOR GRAIN AND ENSILAGE Basing our conclusions on the results of the experiments just noted, and taking the south line of Nebraska and the center of the state as a base where semi-humid conditions usually prevail and where corn planting time has been, as a rule, about May tenth, we would urge the trial of continued cultivation for 2 to 4 weeks, regardless of the fact that you are delaying the usual time of planting, depending for the wide range of two weeks upon the soil, season and location. But to those who try it, we say to give it a careful and thorough trial, and study well what we have said regarding the preparatory work, 58 Progressive Agriculture under the head of Spring Tillage, and how much it means to the more rapid growth by the later planting, for this is the basis for the increased certainty and yield of corn, and all evidence so far is in its favor. Have you not, by accident at some time, planted your corn late and got good results? Then don't forget that the early and continuous cultivation gives you a still greater advantage. Then as one goes north and west from the base point referred to, you should shorten the prepar- atory period slightly, while going south or east give about the same period of cultivation beyond the usual planting time. It is very apparent that this plan will carry farther east in the corn belt proper, but where the atmosphere is more moist the delay should be slightly less. As we go north or rise in altitude in the section of low humidity and lighter rainfall, we have found our most marked and interesting results. In planting for ensilage there is unquestionable advantage in the very thorough tillage prepara- tion and delay in planting. Every known experi- ment on this line properly carried out has been a success. In some localities for ensilage it may be advisable to continue cultivation and delay planting for at least a week or ten days later than where mature corn is the object. If careful consideration is given to our base point as to planting time and modest considera- tion given to the local conditions and the proper tillage the increase in tonnage in normal years by reason of prolonged tillage and later planting will Progressive Agriculture 59 be very marked, while in the more drouthy seasons, it will be a happy surprise to all who have not seen it worked out. Much stress must be put upon the question of early disking and careful preparation. This will materially aid in promoting early rapid growth. The delay of 2 to 4 weeks in planting should be solely for the purpose of permitting a longer period for tillage and that the soil may become sufficiently warm to give quick germination and rapid early growth. Corn that is stunted by the unfavorable physical and a cool soil condition will never fully recover by any amount of after good tillage. Good, early, careful preparation of the soil for corn counts in wet years as well as in dry years. Careless and delayed preparation for corn means a small or no crop at all in drouthy years. Corn was once king in Iowa; it can make kings in much of the semi-humid section. CHAPTER VI TIME OF PLANTING We have already discussed the question of pro- longing the preparatory period prior to planting the average crop. This you can readily see means planting the crop a little later, in some instances two weeks and in other two months, depending on the kind of crop. This seems almost ridiculous, but go with us carefully through. It is not our 60 Progressive Agriculture purpose to discuss the question of later planting for better results but rather of prolonging the period of preparation sufficiently to obtain a much more ideal soil condition, for not only storing in close proximity to the feeding zone of the plant roots a greater supply of moisture and plant food, but to get the benefit of the warm weather in bringing about a more favorable condition for rapid development of rootlets and their feeders, and at the same time having a soil condition that will provide additional plant food to keep up the supply as the plants begin to reach up with a more rapid growth. In the development of this kind of work or what we term Spring Tillage, there is one great advant- age we are seeking, and that is to bridge over seasons of light rainfall, also the hot drouthy periods that so commonly play havoc with our crops the later part of June through July, and early August in all semi-humid sections. For a time it seemed that for sections of lighter rainfall summer tillage was the solution, and in the production of fall planted crops, it has proved remarkably successful where the work was cor- rectly done, and we know there is much more merit to summer tillage than has been commonly brought out. The difficulties militating against its success are two; first, a lack of full and thorough under- standing of the principles and the observation of every detail; second, lack of adequate tools for handling the land more especially after the land has been plowed and sub-packed, to then com- pletely keep out all weeds without destroying the seed bed by too deep cultivation. Progressive Agriculture 61 Experience with summer tilling, however, is what has brought out the spring tillage idea, which points to a successful harvest every year for all spring planted crops, barring hail storms. We have already found that for large results from spring tillage there is a necessary preciseness in the work the same as there is in any other line of work. It is also true that some of the ideas are radically different from all past practice. This is especially true as to the delay in planting time of nearly all crops, to permit of time for the necessary tillage to obtain the best results each and every year. In the following chapters we shall refer to very marked results in the hot drouthy years of 1913 and 1914, where fields have had early and careful preparation followed by continued timely cultiva- tion, to a considerable later period of planting not only produced large crops but were the only fields to fully resist the ill effect of hot weather. In later chapters we will go more into detail as to the reasons for early and perfect fitting of the soil and this to be followed by late planting, as it relates to crops of corn, potatoes, cane and other things. We shall urge reasonably later planting, always to permit of the prolonged spring fitting, by from two to six weeks than has been the practice prior to 1915, depending always on the kind of crop. A better and more perfect seed bed is made possible, by the delay of planting to permit of a longer period of preparation. This is especially applicable in sections of light rainfall in growing feed for cattle and hogs. 62 Progressive Agriculture The length of time of extended cultivation must depend absolutely on the location, conditions and kind of crops to be grown. Our conclusions as to value of this prolonged thorough fitting and later planting are based on results actually shown in dozens of practical field tests in the hot, dry summers of 1913 and 1914, with many other tests in the cool wet summer of 1915. These tests covered a wide scope of conditions and country, and therefore, we can say without hesitancy, that the plan is not in the least detrimental in cool, wet seasons but is a most marked advantage and success in hot, dry seasons, if the right kind of tillage is made use of with intelligence. Later planting with due consideration as to kind of crop and location following proper pre- paration, means more to the farmer in the semi- humid sections than any other one thing possible in increasing the magnitude and certainty of crops in any and all years. While this is a comparatively new problem we believe firmly in this conclusion. Like many other lines of effort to better the average crop production, the prolonged tillage idea before planting must have local consideration and adjustment. The time of planting in your field may be of necessity from three to ten days later or earlier than in a field not many miles away, because of local conditions regarding the soil, summer warmth and autumn frost. We urge every farmer to try out these prin- ciples, as to late planting, to permit of prolonging the period of preparation for there is much in them, in the way of greatly increased growth Progressive Agriculture 63 from the same amount of water, but begin your experiments with care and with the idea that you should continue the preparatory tillage as late as you can with reasonable assurance of time from planting for the plants to reach the maturity most desirable for harvesting that specific crop whether it be corn, cane, fodder crops, potatoes or garden. Work out the problem of the lateness of preparation for each farm and crop by small experiments carefully handled and results re- corded. Some seasons the continuous hot weather comes earlier than other seasons and the soil may reach the ideal warm conditions earlier, when earlier planting may be advisable. But let us again emphasize that the value of later planting comes from the farmer's ability to destroy more weeds and store more water in the soil and further improve the condition of the seed bed under which conditions a greater amount of plant food is made available, and a much more rapid growth attained. As has been stated before, the advantages are many why the growing season should be made as short as possible. Some of these might be stated as follows: Less danger of injury from unfavorable con- ditions, such as hot winds, storms, hail, insect pests. Greater opportunity to destroy weeds and a smaller opportunity for the weeds to take advant- age of the field crops and crowd them out. Far less danger of stunting the growth, a stronger, healthier plant because of quick growing, therefore, a greater resistance to plant disease and increased certainty of larger yield. 64 Progressive Agriculture A larger amount of available moisture and plant food at time of planting, due to the longer prepar- atory period in which the moisture is stored and the plant food is made available. It must be remembered that the availability of the elements in the soil for the use of the plants, depends largely on the preparation of the soil and the final physical condition obtained. Some plant food, it is true, is available in practically all soils nearly all the time; but for best results, especially in semi-humid regions, the largest possible amount of plant food must be made available to assure greater returns. This happens when there has been such treatment of the soil that the water and air are mingled in right proportions so that under influence of the sun's rays and the electrical forces, there will be quick and radical but favor- able changes in the soil itself. That is what takes place naturally in the middle of the summer. The farmer can help it along wonderfully. So if he takes, say eight weeks in which to do his preparatory work of getting the field ready and coaching the elements, he can accomplish a great deal more than he could do in three or four weeks' time. Then, also, a week under weather conditions that come in the later part of May and early June, when the sun is reaching near its highest point, and the days are longer, is worth a great deal more in the development of plant food and growth of the plants than two or three weeks in March or early April, and yet the very early tillage means very much in not only holding the moisture that is in the soil, but in putting Progressive Agriculture 65 the soil in better condition to take in the later rains. The growth of all plants can be crowded, they can be urged and encouraged. Their growth can be hastened in many ways. That is why some fields of corn will mature in 90 days while others require 120 days or more. Much attention should be given to the selection of quick growing varieties. The great value of the quick growing crops is that they may be planted late, when the available plant food is most abundant and the general weather conditions most favorable, which is in mid-summer, and if the soil conditions are at their best they get through to maturity in much less time. CHAPTER VII WHEAT Wheat was the first crop grown by the early settlers throughout the great central west, so far as history can be traced, and when the soil was new and did not as readily assume unfavorable conditions, the yield was good and promised the pioneer great and quick profits. Some early yields and profits from wheat on the virgin soils of Minnesota and Iowa, coupled with advent of the self binder, prompted the speculator and the capitalist to monopolize and operate large tracts of land. In 1877 leading stockholders of the Northern Pacific Railway sought to induce settlement of 66 Progressive Agriculture the long stretch of then uninhabited land running almost from the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota to the Pacific coast. Flattering offers were made for its development, and in 1878 the great Dalrymple wheat farm on the fertile level prairies just west of Fargo, of 40,000 acres, sprang suddenly into existence. Other great spring wheat farms followed, ranging down to one and two thousand acres each. Many of the first yields were 35 to 45 bushels per acre, some much less; fortunes, however, were seemingly sure and close at hand, a fact that doubtless led many of us off on the wrong plan of one crop farming. Millions of acres of Northern Pacific and Union Pacific lands were soon purchased and thousands of homesteads, preemptions and tree claims of 160 acres each, were filed on, and the country from up near the Canadian line down to Okla- homa, filled with eager speculators and home makers. Railroads were projected, and for the first time in history they were built into the interior beyond settlement. Cities and towns sprang up like magic, everybody seemingly had money or was going to get it. But there came an end to all this, the history of which we will not repeat. The principal factors in all the grief that fol- lowed were the mistakes made in handling the land. We were all strangers in a strange land, there were so many things we did not know. While we do not believe in the one crop farming, yet a wide range of experience convinces us that wheat on a small scale can yet be grown at a profit, Progressive Agriculture 67 and in the following pages we shall endeavor to prove this as certain, not by theory but by practical results. WINTER WHEAT AND TILLAGE Methods of tillage have very much more to do with crop results in semi-humid sections than weather conditions. In illustrating this fact, let us call attention to certain pictures. Look at Cuts No. 24 and 25 carefully. They represent winter wheat tracts on 160 acres each, both fields grown in the wet year of 1915 near Yuma, Colorado on adjoining sections, with soil of the same formation and both on land broken from the prairie sod in 1914. The field illustrated in No. 24, made 39J bushels per acre, while No. 25 only made 13 bushels per acre. Fifteen inches of rain fell on both fields during April, May and June. One field responded most beautifully because the physical condition was such that nature could come much nearer doing her best. Have you ever seen such contrasts in adjoining fields and some- times in different parts of the same field? Is it possible to get around the wide difference in the results of these two fields by saying it is only one of many similar freaks? This is too ridiculous; there is a cause for No. 24 and another cause for No. 25, and apparently both had their definite effects, therefore, the cause and effect are ex- plained later on. Now give careful consideration to Cuts Nos. 26 and 27, to which is attached some interesting history. These fields are closer related even than 68 Progressive Agriculture Nos. 24 and 25, so far as soil is considered, be- cause of the fact that the tillers of both attempted to follow the same plan. They both had been cropped a number of years and are on adjoining quarters of the same level section one mile south- east of Yuma, Colorado, handled by different men. Both fields were summer tilled in 1913, each man endeavored to, and thought he was doing all he could to get a soil condition that would bring the biggest and best crop of wheat, but look at the result. Field No. 26, apparently (not hap- pened to) was put in very much better condition and when you read about J. M. Moyer who handled this field you will more fully appreciate this fact. The two fields after being summer tilled in 1913, were seeded in the fall, and in 1914 each field produced as follows: No. 26, 47| bushels per acre; No. 27, 24f bushels or a little more than half as much. The 47^ bushel crop is shown in Cut No. 30, in the rear field, where it is contrasted with the adjoining or front field, cropped in the usual manner yielding only 16^ bushels. About the same expense in labor in summer tilling was put on field No. 26 and 27 in 1913, the time, kind and manner of doing the work making the wide difference. One knew what to do and what not to do; the other thought he did, but made mistakes as many others have done. Now as to the next year. Both fields were refitted the same season, 1914, each doing what he thought was best to prepare for seed and sowed that fall to winter wheat. In the two pictures Progressive Agriculture 69 given we have shown the result of the 1915 crop. The field shown in No. 26 yielded 30 bushels per acre and that in No. 27 yielded only 11J. This added to the 1914 crop of 24^ bushels makes a total of 36 bushels in two consecutive years, following one season of summer tilling. And yet, No. 26 yielded 47J bushels in 1914 and 30 bushels in 1915, a total of 77 J in the two years, or 43| bushels more than No. 27 for really knowing how. This at 85 cents per bushel would be $36.98 per acre, or the three years' interest on the land at 6% on a valuation of $205.33 per acre, not the total return but more than the other at practically no extra cost. The question naturally arises here as to why this difference? The yields were not accidents. There is a clear and distinct reason and this reason slightly enlarged is the "Why" some men are raising good crops in the most drouthy years in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado, and better ones in the good years, while others have gone there, tried to do the same work, and failed entirely. In short this striking illustration clinches the fact that there is a right and a wrong way of doing things. It also tells a valuable story in the lesson of summer tilling or summer fallowing, which, as commonly understood, means to culti- vate one season to store the rain waters for use the next year, for it shows there is more to it, also that it is important to have every part of the work, tillage, quantity of seed, time of seeding, all care- fully done. Unless it is all timely and correctly done you are liable to be sadly disappointed in 70 Progressive Agriculture final yields, but if every detail is done correctly, and it can be, success is as sure in the semi-humid sections as in almost any other place. These four pictures just mentioned are shown together with Cuts Nos. 30, 31, 32, and 33 to establish more fully a fact that unfortunately has not been sufficiently well understood in the past, and that is, the crop is in proportion to the tillage or treat- ment the land has been given, the quantity of seed sown and time of seeding. Therefore, if you or your friends failed years ago, don't insist that others must likewise fail now. FURTHER EVIDENCE Cut No. 28, has a very interesting story that must be recognized as a further proof of our attitude as to how easy it is to make a mistake, and how a mistake may easily mislead anyone who is not familiar with the progressive ideas. This field belongs to a neighbor of Mr. Moyer's, at Yuma, Colorado who came to Mr. Moyer in the spring of 1914 with the statement that he wanted 40 acres of his prairie land broken for winter wheat, but he had no money. Mr. Moyer, replied he would break the land and fit it for fall seeding and take for his pay one third of the threshed wheat, providing this party would seed at the time and with the quantity of seed per acre that he requested. The deal was thus completed. Mr. Moyer did the work. When the breaking was finished, the owner was through his spring seeding, so he broke 10 acres more alongside of the breaking done by contract, and fitted as to his Progressive Agriculture 71 own notion and seeded as he thought best in the fall at the time the Moyer part was also seeded. In face of the unusual heavy rains of 1915, there was a very wide difference in the yield of the two pieces, so much that they were cut and threshed separately. Mr. Mover's third was more bushels per acre than the total yield per acre of the additional ten acres. Cut No. 28 shows the crop on the Moyer part just before cutting. Knowing that the same heavy rain fell on the entire 50 acres, we ask the question, was the weather responsible for the wide difference in the yield or was it the tillage? Again the question, is not this evidence suffi- ciently clear to establish the fact that the right principles and methods will bring results that wrong methods will not? You must know how- ever, what is right and what is wrong. Cut No. 29 is J. M. Moyer's 1915 winter wheat, 50 acres on land broken from the prairie sod in 1914, average yield 45| bushels per acre, a very marked yield for new breaking. Remember this when you look at other fields grown by Mr. Moyer. The full page Cut No. 30, in colors, rear field with its rank healthy growth is Mr. Moyer's 1914 crop on land summer tilled in 1913, and previously referred to in connection with Cut No. 26. The front field with its somewhat stunted growth is also winter wheat on land that had grown a crop of wheat in 1913 at the same time the rear field was being summer tilled. The two fields were sown at the same time, the rank rear field was sown with 20 pounds of seed per acre and the 72 Progressive Agriculture front field with 30 pounds per acre. Mr. Moyer gave this front field the best care possible as he was still trying to satisfy himself whether it paid to summer till or not. The summer tilled field produced 47f bushels per acre and the front field only 16| bushels per acre, or slightly more than one-third. This result, in face of a rainfall con- siderably below normal convinced Mr. Moyer that Colorado prairies like her mountains have plenty of gold but to get it in liberal quantities it was necessary to learn better when and how to till the soil. Cut No. 31 shows Mr. Moyer's field of summer tilled wheat after it was cut in the hot dry year of 1913. This field of 15 acres averaged 34 bushels per acre, with plenty of fields in the surrounding country going from 8 to 12 bushels per acre. Cut No. 32 is Mr. Moyer's 1915 crop on land summer tilled in 1914, 51| bushels per acre. Don't forget that this is fully double that of the majority of wheat fields around Yuma and also that the rainfall recorded from the first of April to the cutting of this crop is more than double any other year. Then why does this summer tilled field produce so much more unless there is some- thing in the theory of increased fertility from summer tilling? Then, again remember that Mr. Moyer's high yield in 1915 with its heavy rainfall is only 4 bushels more than in 1914 with less than half the rain. Is it the weather or tillage? This No. 32, is a close second to No. 39, a summer tilled field grown in the dry year of 1904 at Holdrege, Nebraska and yielding 54| bushels Progressive Agriculture 73 per acre of 64 pound wheat, and referred to later on. In the eleven intervening years, many a farmer has tried to grow wheat by summer tilling and failed of any profit and strongly denounced the methods and principles all because of mistakes and a misunderstanding of the real how, not only in tillage but quantity of seed and time of seeding. To more fully substantiate the fact that the correct time and kind of work means more than quantity of work in not only summer tilling but in successful crop growing, we take the liberty to state that Mr. J. M. Moyer farmed and fitted in the autumn of 1914, 210 acres, all of which was in crop in 1915 and well handled and largely re- fitted again, doing his work alone with the help of 3 horses and a gas tractor that pulled five plows, except his help for harvesting and threshing. Whether Mr. Moyer did good work on so large a farm with no other manual labor is evidenced by his fields of grain we have shown you in the various pictures. Mr. Moyer is not only growing crops with larger yields than any one else, but he is making all due preparations for a pleasant, attractive home in the near future. A glance at Cut No. 6, shows a row of Carolina poplars on the south of his orchard only five years old and fully 18 feet high now. Cut No. 7 is an interest- ing view of his five year-old cherry trees just north of the Carolina poplars. Mr. Moyer has never failed to get fine vegetables and potatoes since he learned how. Cut No. 21 shows Mr. Moyer cutting his champion crop of wheat in 1915, pulling his 74 Progressive Agriculture harvester and a tandem or double disk harrow, double disking the stubble as fast as the crop is cut, mixing the thick heavy stubble into the top three inches of soil. Explanation of the value will be gone into under the heading of "Disking After the Harvest." Cut No. 33, another full page color cut, shows two fields of wheat grown by August Desens, on the high divide 1J miles north of Stratton, Ne- braska in the very hot, dry year of 1913. This, like No. 30, shows two fields of winter wheat. The rear field here was summer tilled in 1912, and seeded in early September, and produced in 1913, 33 bushels of 62 pound wheat per acre, while the front field was in wheat in 1912, refitted and again sown at the same time the summer tilled field was. This field started off well in the spring, but like many surrounding fields ran out of moisture during the hot weather without rain and dried up, never even heading as can be clearly seen in the cut. The gentleman's feet standing in the front field can be plainly seen, while the man in the back, or summer tilled field, stands in thick rank wheat up to his hips. Such evidence as to the correctness of certain methods of tillage cannot be contradict- ed. Numerous fields of wheat in this locality were not worth cutting, due to the excessive pro- longed heat without rain during June and early July. Cut No. 84 is a most exceedingly interesting illustration of what the right kind of tillage will do in the growing of a good crop with very small Progressive Agriculture 75 rainfall. This rye was grown by C. L. Morgan, Sligo, Colorado, on the Cheyenne branch of the C. B. & Q. railway, 46 miles east of Cheyenne, Wyoming in the dry season of 1914. The land was summer tilled in 1913 and during that year a total of only 7f inches of rain fell. The rye was put in August 25, 1913, made a very good start and by its liberal stooling afforded considerable pasture for about 20 head of stock and again in the spring was pastured. The total rain from Jan- uary first, to the cutting of the rye was only 4f inches, making a total for the 19 months, prior to cutting of the rye, 12^ inches. Again we insist the right kind of timely work makes success possible. Have we not given you ample proof? CHAPTER VIII DOES TILLAGE INCREASE FERTILITY? When we speak of soil being fertile or rich, we very naturally look for large yields from that soil, and yet, all over the great semi-humid west we have a wonderfully fertile soil that does not as a rule produce large crops, because the fertility or plant food is not available. Though the elements are there, they cannot be reached and utilized by the rootlets. When we consider the general climatic con- ditions that prevail during the growing season, usually we find one of two conditions quite un- favorable to large quantities of available plant 76 Progressive Agriculture food, either a coarse loose, soil condition carry- ing too low per cent of soil or capillary water, or a compact surface and weeds which have depleted the moisture. It is only in recent years that we have realized the wide difference in the crop production of the soil in the same field where only slight differences as to apparent conditions seem to exist and it has led us to plan many experiments, to find out how, if possible, by tillage, this fertility can be made available not only in larger quantities, but more continuous, believing much larger yields can be obtained if we can only understand this better, and|know just what to do. h Under the captions of Spring Tillage, Summer Tillage and Fall Tillage, we have covered the principal points in mechanical work to bring this about, and in this chapter we shall reiterate to some extent. But our main object is to prove here by pictures and explanations that certain soil and moisture conditions do govern as to the quantity of available plant food. Cut No. 39 gives one illustration. This very large crop of winter wheat was grown on the C. B. & Q. farm at Holdrege, Nebraska, in the some- what dry year of 1904, on land summer tilled in 1903, and seeded September tenth with 25 pounds of seed per acre. Note carefully the two especially interesting features of this 40 acre field, height and evenness of stand. The yield was 54| bushels per acre of wheat that weighed 64 pounds to the measured bushel. Fifteen to twenty bushels was the com- Progressive Agriculture 77 mon yield of surrounding fields weighing 58 to sixty pounds per bushel. The early spring started off very favorable and all surrounding wheat looked fine but just before heading there came a dry period causing a check in the growth of nearly all fields but this one, because of a more perfect soil condition. It was also because of a surplus of moisture stored by the summer tilling the year before, as we then supposed, more recently however, we have de- cided that this very marked growth was not so much the direct result of the large amount of additional available moisture during the growth of the wheat, but rather what the moisture had done during the summer tilling period and before the wheat was planted, when during midsummer we were able to keep the surface loose and prevent any weed growth whatever. The high per cent of capillary water which supplied the necessary moisture for a heavy bacterial growth or chemical action and made available the large amount of fertility, was undoubtedly the more direct cause of the rank growth shown in the picture than the water itself. One square look at this field convinces one that some very unusual condition existed. MORE EVIDENCE As further proof of the correctness of this theory, note Cut No. 38, a winter wheat field six miles east of Akron, Colorado in 1912. Look closely and observe the high thick stand of the stubble in the foreground, then the numerous 78 Progressive Agriculture large shocks. This field has an interesting history, as it was summer tilled in 1911 with a great amount of care, for the main purpose of ascertain- ing whether a certain soil condition in the heated part of the season during the summer tilling would bring about a more marked, rank growth the following year. Our theory in this was based on the keeping of the mulch at a fixed depth, loose and dry as much of the time as the more or less rains and timely cultivation would permit, there- by, holding the high per cent of capillary water in the top of the firm soil beneath the mulch contin- uously to permit a process of chemical or bacterial action, expecting to materially increase the avail- able fertility. Whether we were successful or not is evidenced by the growth of this wheat crop when we realize that moisture was stored to a depth of only 32 inches during the summer tilling process in 1911, and the rainfall up to the cutting of this crop in 1912 was very light and the last thirty days it was very warm giving our ideas a most thorough test. A further fact is, that only 18 pounds of seed were sown per acre and that the field was twice harrowed in the spring to thin it, for early in its spring growth it showed too thick a stand from its prolific stooling. At one end of the field where the seed was quite thin, one stool was found with 213 stalks from one seed and numerous stools in the other part of the field with one hundred and over. As you look at this picture, think over carefully our statements. Progressive Agriculture 79 Cut No. 36 also bears out the same point re- garding the question of increased fertility by tillage. Here are shown two stools of wheat pulled the eighteenth day of November, 1910> at Hold- rege, Nebraska from two adjoining fields, one from the C. B. & Q. farm, the other from a field immediately west of it. Both were seeded about the tenth of September; one, however, was sum- mer tilled land, the other was land that had grown a crop in 1910, then plowed and fitted for crop again, and work well done by a good farmer. About the twentieth of September, ten days after seeding, a very good rain fell, about If inches. The larger stool which is from the summer tilled field is not exceptionally large, but a fair average sample and contains eighty-three well developed stools, or stalks, while the smaller stool contains only six stalks, and it would have been difficult to have obtained a larger stool in this field ; it was above the average. While it is fair to concede that the seed and root bed in the summer tilled field was finer and firmer, and carried at the start more moisture in the top six to eight inches all of which was more favorable to the rapid growth and development of the roots, yet after the rain the twentieth of September, the conditions regarding the firmness of the seed bed and available moisture would have been nearly alike in both fields because of the dissolving and settling effect of the heavy rain on the late fitted field and practically all the rain must have soaked in. Think of fully fourteen times as great a growth in the same time, a large per cent of which 80 Progressive Agriculture must have been due to the greatly increased amount of available plant food in the summer tilled field. While we are giving you many practical illustra- tions, dozens more could be given along the same line. Cut No. 37, previously referred to, is further evidence of increased fertility under specific soil, moisture and climatic conditions. In this illus- tration the evidence is along the line of diminish- ing the amount of available plant food or fertility by carrying a too low per cent of moisture in the soil. Briefly explaining No. 37, some 30 acres of land were being summer tilled by C. L. Morgan at Sligo, Colorado in 1910, a season of very light rainfall. About half of the field became somewhat weedy because of a combination of rains and other work to be done, while he had kept the weeds out of the balance of the field ; however, the same depth of mulch had been kept over the entire 30 acres. The weedy part was plowed first, plowing of the balance of the field followed immediately, same depth of plowing and other work was all identical, the seeding done at the same time and stools pulled 43 days after seeding. The average stool in the part kept clean was about 21 stalks, while in the part where the weeds had grown the average stool indicated about 6, which is unquestionably due to the low per cent of moisture reduced by weed growth in June and early July, checking bacterial development. These facts are also borne out to a degree in the contrast of Cuts Nos. 24 and 25, and Nos. 26 and 27, as well as in Cuts Progressive Agriculture 81 Nos. 30 and 33. Do not fail to turn to all these pictures while you have this question in mind. Cut No. 40 is another demonstration of in- creased fertility by summer tilling. Here are five heads out of 31 from one grain or stool, and there are 341 grains in the five heads or an average of over 68 grains each. This is not only remarkable but very unusual. There were four grains in every group, a fact that is very un- common. This was grown near Morcroft, Wyo- ming, in 1915, on land that was summer tilled in 1914 and seeded, as we advised, with 20 pounds per acre. By an unavoidable combination of conditions the seeding was done late, therefore, very little stooling in the fall. The field started off in the spring seemingly so thin that the owner decided it worthless and plowed up about two-thirds, leaving the balance to prove that 20 pounds was not seed enough, but to his amaze- ment he cut from this small field, what he ad- mitted to be the largest yield per acre of the best wheat he ever saw. The five heads referred to were from this field. This is seemingly evidence in favor of the correctness of three principles or theories; first, that tillage of the right kind at the right time is a greater factor in influencing growth; second, that with ample available plant food, plants are much aided in that all important continuous growth that brings the big yield; third, that thinner seeding for the more ideal seed bed that is supplied with a liberal amount of available fertility is of great importance. The story also brings out the interesting fact, that 82 Progressive Agriculture there are many things yet to know and study about timely tillage. WHY THIS REMARKABLE STOOLING AND GROWTH? Just a little discussion as to why this remarkable growth and stooling may be obtained under such soil, moisture and climatic conditions, as we have endeavored to represent. We fully appreciate that we are wading into a subject the facts of which are not known to anyone, in fact the most persistent investigator does not know. It is just the same as in dealing with electricity, no one knows what electricity really is, yet we do know that by certain mechanical devices we can rely upon specific results, in which we have every reason to believe in fact, say we know, that so- called electricity does this, or does that, and is a controlling element. So too, in discussing the growth of all plants we do not know just what it is. Yet we have found that by certain mechan- ical work under certain soil conditions combined with a certain per cent of air and moisture and with seemingly certain amount of heat, that we do get certain specific marked growth in plants, and for the want of better words to explain, after studying the question carefully, we refer to bac- terial and chemical action as the means of bring- ing about or increasing the elements which pro- mote that marked growth of the plant called fertility or plant food. In going into the details of the How and the Why, we have purposely kept out of chemistry and dealt almost entirely with the physical or mechanical condition of the Progressive Agriculture 83 soil combined with the utility of air and water and the tillage or mechanical work necessary to bring the results in the most economical manner, as we now understand these questions after 35 years observation, thinking and experiments. The following facts must be recognized by the average farmer, when the seed bed in a field is fairly fine and firm and carries a high per cent of moisture or what is properly termed capillary water, which indicates that each soil particle is enveloped in a thin film of water while the minute spaces between carries air and the surface is covered with a coarse loose mulch to protect or preserve this condition and the season is advanced far enough so the soil and atmosphere is warm, the plant makes a very rapid healthy growth. Why? Our position is that with careful summer tilling in localities of light rainfall, that with soil con- ditions obtained that is indicated in Cut No. 10, and this uniform firm soil becomes warm, the seed after being deposited in such soil quickly takes on growth as soon as it germinates, and the single stem with its leaf is up as indicated in the cut, the soil moisture, temperature and plant food is so favor- able that the rootlets shoot out among the soil grains, branch and multiply very rapidly, and each little rootlet sends out a mass of little hair roots for feeders and the elements or food is consequently gathered in, in very much larger quantities than the little lone stalk and leaves can utilize or assimilate. This plant food as taken in must, however, materialize somewhere in some 84 Progressive Agriculture form, therefore, the additional suckers or stools as shown in the other end of Cut No. 10. These suckers will keep increasing until the surface of all the foliage originating from the one stool is sufficient to take care of all moisture by direct evaporation that is taken in by the rootlets. Cut No. 11 shows not only the ideal seed and root bed with its liberally stooled plant, but the less favorable or coarse seed and root bed under which condition germination and root growth is very slow. Not only is it slow but the little feeders along the outside of the roots in coarser, looser soils are far less in number. Plants under similar con- ditions will stool very little if any, because the two or three leaves can utilize or assimilate all the few rootlets can gather in. Now as you vary from the fine perfect seed bed shown on one side to the coarse, imperfect condition on the other or from the coarse to the fine you change the growing and stooling tendency of the plant. INFLUENCE OF IDEAL CONDITIONS In addition to the physical condition of the soil and the soil water, is the available plant food. Each one of the three have their respective in- fluence upon the stooling and growth of the small grain plant. First, is the carefully prepared seed bed with the loose mulch, then comes the accumu- lation of the proper per cent of moisture and as the soil becomes warm the bacterial or chemical action then sets in which develops the fertility. Where well directed spring or^ summer tilling has been carried on as experience indicates and our / VO///T.S-.';/ w A yr i.ndl. n,<- 86 illustrations show that a much more favorable condition exists and a greater amount of plant food is available, therefore, a still greater stooling and growth. Study well the specific design of Cuts No. 10, and No. 11, and grasp what they really represent. No. 10 illustrates the effect of an ideal soil condition on growth, and No. 11 gives a contrast of the influence on growth of roots and plants of both ideal and the poor fitting of the seed bed. CHAPTER X SUMMER TILLING FOR WHEAT Under the heading of "Preparation Before Seed- ing", we have discussed at some length summer tilling in a broad sense, but in this chapter we wish to cover it with relation to winter wheat and much more in detail. Summer tilling is handling the field from early spring to time of fall planting in a manner not only to gather and store the rain water as it comes, but to improve the soil and bring it up to a high state of physical condition for increasing the available plant food. As first outlined years ago, summer tilling was only intended for wheat growing and more especially winter wheat. But we have found that similar principles, with some modifications, and previously referred to as Spring Tillage, are ad- mirably adapted to the plan of growing corn, cane, broom, millet, potatoes and similar crops, 86 Progressive Agriculture In applying the labor for summer tilling, as previously explained under the heading "Prepar- ation Before Seeding", we have verified the truth that correct principles in the preparation of the seed and root bed is a long stride forward for growing good crops in any season in the semi- humid sections, but to complete the success it must be followed by timely seeding and the right quantity per acre. The first step in summer tilling, as previously explained, is to double disk the land as early as soil conditions will permit. This may be done with a single disk by lapping half and letting the outside disk of the next round fill in the center or dead furrow made by the previous disk. But by far the better plan is to use the tandem or double disk shown in Cut No. 22. It is much easier to regulate the depth and a more uniform job can be done with less expense. LOOK OUT FOR BLOWING It is not desirable, as a rule, to disk deeply, especially the first time over early in the spring, for the reason that if it becomes hot and dry and frequent high winds prevail, the early disked field might begin to blow if the land was sandy and more especially so if the land had been farmed in a somewhat careless manner for several years, in which case it becomes loose and dead. Soil not only becomes dead by untimely and incorrect tillage but it can be kept alive by correct timely work. If you have not disked deeply on the start it is very easy, should it start to blow, Progressive Agriculture 87 to stop it by disking again and cutting half or three-fourths inches deeper. This turns a little of the moist firm soil just beneath the mulch on top, and by going at right angles with the wind, the blowing can be stopped. We have done this and completely succeeded in the face of a very high wind, and still held the top against later winds as the strips of live moist soil laid on the top by the disk do not fall apart, but resist the wind like small clods. Quite sandy soil cannot, however, be safely summer tilled. For fall seeding the spring disking should con- tinue from early spring up to the first to the fifteenth of June, then plow, and if the land has been cropped several times plow six to seven inches deep and no deeper. But as referred to in Class 4 of the "Suggestions", do not allow the land to remain long after plowing without using the sub-surface packer or the disk harrow set straight and well weighted to help fill up the open spaces in and firm the lower portion of the furrow while it is still moist. THE PROBLEM OF WEEDS After plowing and sub-packing, the surface mulch to the depth of 2| to 3 inches should be kept loose but not too fine. Every possible pre- caution must be taken from this time to keep the mulch the same depth and allow no weeds to grow. The weeds must be kept out and if they are kept out and the surface continuously loose, big crops will follow, but a few weeds will make from 10 to 15 bushels difference in the yield of 88 Progressive Agriculture winter wheat, and more and bigger weeds will cheat you out of 20 to 30 bushels, as repeated experience has shown. Suitable tools for this kind of work are not available, therefore, the task of keeping the weeds out with such tools as we have is not an easy one. It is hoped, however, that some day the real merits of summer tilling as it is now understood will be sufficiently appre- ciated to demand proper tools, but so far there have been so many failures because of the many mistakes that the interest in waning, a most unfortunate fact in the face of what we are giving you in this book, and the many similar big yields during the past fifteen years. What one can successfully do another should do if he really knows how. As proof of our assertions regarding the cost of weeds, please note Cut No. 37. Here are two stools of wheat from the same summer tilled field. A part of the field was kept clean of weeds, a part in spite of conditions and reasonable efforts became somewhat weedy. The weedy part of the field was plowed first and the balance im- mediately following, same care was given to the entire field in plowing, packing and cultivating up to seed time, then to make conditions apparently all the more alike, the night following the seeding l\ inches of rain fell over the entire field. Forty- three days after seeding the stools of wheat, shown in the cut referred to, were pulled. The larger ones from the field kept clean and selected as an average sample of the stooling shows 20 stools or stalks; the smaller ones from the part that was Progressive Agriculture 89 weedy averaged only 6 stools, but these weeds were turned under in early July, and from the plowing to the pulling of the sample stools no more weeds had grown, 45 to 49 days after plow- ing the seeding was done, and 43 days after seed- ing or about 90 days after the weeds were plowed under we observe this wide difference in growth and stooling. Is there anything in tillage? Certainly if you know how. The weeds in this case had probably grown sufficient to reduce the moisture prior to plowing to the degree that the chemical or bacterial action was largely checked, therefore, less available plant food. Also the moisture was probably reduced to that degree that when the plowing was done the soil did not settle down as closely when the packer was pulled over the field, therefore, more open- ings or spaces were left in the seed and root bed. EFFECT OF RAINS ON SUMMER TILLING The coarser the mulch over the surface is kept, the less packing of the mulch by the light rains, and the more of the rain water soaks down below. This coarse mulch is best obtained by the tandem disk and if the disk manufacturers would put carrying wheels on these tandem disks, so we could regulate the depth by these wheels and still leave the disk sections set at such angle as would do the best work, a much more complete destruc- tion of the weeds would be possible without cutting so deep as to destroy the seed bed. The difficulty of the fine mulch is brought out in Cut No. 9. When the mulch has been so handled 90 Progressive Agriculture as to become very fine or dust like, it takes little rain to settle this top very solid and should the rain be sufficient to settle the entire depth of the mulch, a few hours of sunshine and you have a dense crust, out of what should be your mulch, a very unfavorable condition. Therefore it must soon be again loosened. On the other hand, if the mulch had been kept coarse, especially on the top, as shown in Cut No. 8, the light showers have very little effect and as previously stated the coarse mulch is by far the most economical, for it requires less frequent work and takes in more moisture, in fact several modest rains might fall without seriously effecting the protection effect of the mulch, and it is more effective in preventing loss by evaporation at all times, than the dust mulch. ADVANTAGE OF THE PACIFIC COAST IN SUMMER TILLING On the Pacific coast little or no rain falls in the summer time, so the serious packing effect of the summer rains are eliminated, but the weed ques- tion is even more serious and for best results must be kept out. The coarse mulch, however, is quite as vital in holding the moisture there also. Progressive Agriculture 91 CHAPTER XI AMOUNT OF SEED WHEAT PER ACRE The question of how much seed wheat to sow per acre is a very broad one and needs much consideration. The mechanical and physical con- dition of each field as previously explained must be considered almost by itself, as regards the quantity of seed. Years ago, 60, 75 or 90 pounds of wheat per acre was the universal practice with no regard whatever as to the soil condition or location. There is no doubt in our mind, after fifteen years of study on the relation of soil conditions to the quantity of seed and the final crop yield in any and all kinds of seasons, that in many cases the 50 or 60 pounds of winter wheat seed has been directly responsible for the low yield or failure in seasons where hot, dry periods have come within the last six to eight weeks of the growing season and where the field has been well fitted. We recall distinctly in 1912 a field containing about 20 acres that was summer tilled northwest of Indianola, Nebraska. The summer tilling was well done and the seed sown early in September, 60 pounds of winter wheat per acre, on a theory that a field in such fine condition would stand it. Early in the spring this field was deservedly commented upon very favorably. It was the first to show growth and was very thick and color good, and as both 1912 and 1913 were unfavorable years, because of light rainfall and excessive heat, the average winter wheat field under ordinary 92 Progressive Agriculture treatment in early spring did not have a very encouraging appearance. But early June was reached with continued hot, dry weather and the grand prospect of this summer tilled field was soon blighted. It required too much moisture to keep up the growth of so much foliage. It was really the first field to show firing and never pro- duced one bushel, and was heralded far and wide as evidence that summer tilling was a failure. Had 20 pounds of seed been sown per acre there would doubtless have been a good crop matured, as evidenced by the summer tilled field at Strat- ton, Nebraska, 45 miles west of Indianola. The Desens field shown in Cut No. 33, was grown the same year and a 33 bushel crop matured, due very largely to the lighter seeding following the good tillage. But had the Desens field been seeded with even 45 pounds under the conditions that existed it would have resulted in little or no crop. We have endeavored to show that the more perfect the seed and root bed the less seed should be sown. Then again, in case of fall seeding, the later^you put in the seed the more seed is required. The stand in the spring must not be too thick; then again, if too thin it cannot bring a good yield. This question can only be settled by close observation and experience. It is however a vital one. FALL SEEDING SUMMER TILLED LAND We will assume that summer tilling has been well done by the plowing being done early in June and weeds kept practically clean from the field Progressive Agriculture 93 and location north-east Colorado, we would seed promptly September first, with 18 pounds of good plump seed. If however, the plowing has been later and the seed bed has not been favored with fairly good rains more seed must be sown, possibly 25 pounds per acre. Good judgment as to its possible stand must be exercised and can only come from close attention to details. THE REMEDY FOR TOO THICK STAND In case of too much seed followed by liberal stooling, the field should be single disked in the spring with disk set at a sufficient angle to destroy enough to bring the stand down to proper amount. You cannot do one part of the work of summer tilling correctly, and some other part wrong and get results. Every part of a telephone, phono- graph or automobile must be rightly adjusted and in its place or it is a failure. So, too, in growing good crops in the semi-humid sections, quantity of seed and time of seeding must be as carefully considered as tillage. FALL SEEDING ON FALL TILLED LAND Where wheat follows wheat on fall tilled land, more seed is needed, but if a good, fine, firm seed bed has been obtained and a fair amount of moisture in the soil, 30 pounds is ample in case of early seeding. If however, you have very little moisture, early seeding on fall fitted land is not desirable, for too much growth and no fall rains 94 Progressive Agriculture might exhaust the moisture to that degree that winter killing might be the result. Plenty of moisture in the soil in the spring to draw the frost from the roots in late winter or early spring thawing and freezing is proof against, so-called, winter killing which in reality is spring killing. SPRING WHEAT In seeding spring wheat, about one-third more wheat is necessary than for fall wheat in fairly early seeding, and possibly one-half more seed in case of late seeding on well fitted land. Much depends on the physical condition of the seed and root bed and whether the land was fall or spring plowed, the real point being whether the wheat stools liberally or not, which is governed by the degree of care in fitting the seed bed and the available moisture and fertility. CHAPTER XII DISKING AFTER THE HARVESTER Cut No. 21 shows a very economical way of harvesting wheat and double disking the land at the same time with a tandem or double disk harrow. No matter what crop is being cut, this disking we have always found of great value. J. M. Moyer, Yuma, Colorado wrote under date of October 4, 1915: " Have just made examinations regarding mois- ture conditions in several fields. I find in the Progressive Agriculture 95 stubble fields untouched the moisture is nearly all gone, while in stubble fields that were double disked after the harvester, I do not strike dry ground at 72 inches, the length of my auger; but I do not find as high per cent of moisture in the disked stubble field as in my summer tilled fields. I also find the native sod dry from the top down. This wide difference in face of the fact that 6J inches of rain fell in August and 1| inches in September is certainly very interesting." While many farmers have learned the value of early spring disking yet very few practice disking after the harvest. In the average midsummer season over the semi-humid sections, the practice or non- practice of double disking after the harvest means almost the difference of success or failure when the following crop growing season is similar to 1913 or 1914. As previously stated there is no time that your soil is improved to as great a degree by keeping it moist as in July, August and September. Some seasons heavy rains follow the disking. If a very heavy stubble has been disked into the top soil these rains have very little detrimental effect, but where a short and somewhat thin stubble is disked in, a fairly heavy rain will not only settle the mulch but cause weeds to start much quicker. In this case disking again is im- portant and if done before the weeds get any size they will be practically eliminated. Single disking the second time will do a very good job if a bull tongue is attached to the disk harrow to tear up the center or ridge between the two sections to 96 Progressive Agriculture leave this ridge to dry out is very wrong, but double disking is much better. The advantage of this disking is four fold. Keeps the weeds from growing, holds the moisture in the land, causes much more of each subsequent rain to go into the soil and permits of easier and better plowing. CROPS AND THE SOIL FERTILITY The question is often asked, and rightly, do continued big crops deplete the soil of its' avail- able fertility more than small crops? Theoretically, possibly yes, but practically we are in doubt when applied to the semi-humid sections, providing good and well directed tillage is carried on. Just look at Cut No. 29. Note the even stand above the top wire of the fence, then think that it averaged 45| bushels per acre of 62 pound wheat, then glance at Cut No. 21, where this same field is being cut, then realize that the snarled up stubble in the foreground has had a tandem or double disk pulled over it with weight enough on the disk to force the blades three inches into the soil, and you can grasp some idea of how much organic matter is available to be worked into the soil. It is not only this long heavy growth of stubble, but the immense growth of roots that must have permeated the top soil in growing this wheat. Then look at Cut No. 25 or Cut No. 27 and think how much stubble would be left to plow under when each crop was harvested, also the difference in root growth. Do you grasp the significance of these facts? If you can keep up the organic matter in the Progressive Agriculture 97 soil, from which the humus is derived, may it not be reasonable to expect continued good results, with the right kind of timely tillage? In plowing under such stubble as is shown in the disked field referred to, for best results, the soil should be moist and plowed fully 6 inches deep with a moldboard plow that will turn the furrow completely over burying the stubble in the bottom, then follow with the sub-surface packer well weighted. This combined condition and work will pack the soil onto the stubble and so fully obliterate the air spaces that decomposition will soon take place especially if plowed early when the soil is warm and just as soon as the cell structure of the stubble begins to break down and the decomposing bacteria get busy, your condi- tion begins to improve. CHAPTER XIII CANE FOR HAY AND SILAGE That the feed value per ton of cane hay de- pends very much on the time of planting, con- dition of the land when planted, and the time it takes for the crop to grow, there can be no question. With a number of experiments in 1913 and eighty especially handled fields in 1914 compared with a hundred or more planted in the usual manner, and over a hundred experiments in the wet season of 1915, this question is certainly a most interesting one. We saw a number of 4 98 Progressive Agriculture cane fields in the somewhat drouthy year of 1914 that made five tons of choice, high quality cane hay right beside other fields that made only about a half to a ton per acre of poor quality. CANE HAY A VALUABLE CROP The smaller yields were invariably from early planting from the fifteenth of May to June tenth, while the larger yields were mainly planted from July 5 to 17, on carefully spring tilled land. See Cut No. 3 ; here are two fields adjoining grown by R. Crook, Wilsonville Nebraska in 1914. The front field planted May eighteenth, produced about half a ton of low grade hay per acre; the rear field planted July fifteenth made five tons of fine quality hay per acre, the direct result of care- ful spring tillage as previously explained. Here in this field is a most interesting and broad lesson, at the time the photo was taken the early planted was dead and brown while the rear one was rank and green and only just beginning to head. The feeding value of the later planted on carefully spring tilled land in all the experiments was invariably the highest. SPRING TILLING FOR CANE HAY The preparation of the land for cane hay should be along the same plan as outlined in " Spring Tillage For Corn", but the careful tillage should be continued three to five weeks longer before planting. There are three important ad- vantages found in this continued careful cultiva- tion before planting for the production of cane hay: Progressive Agriculture 99 First. By beginning early and continuing on through to some date from June 25 to July 20 (depending on your location) you will not only retain the moisture that you have in the soil from the fall and winter rains and snow, but you can with proper care add to it practically all the spring rains up to the time of planting; thereby, having more available moisture from the time of plant- ing to maturity than if planted earlier. See Cut No. 44, eight acres of cane grown by August Desens, in the drouthy year of 1914, spring tilled up to July twenty-seventh, drilled in with a common grain drill, 30 pounds of cane seed per acre, photo six weeks later at which time the cane had not reached its full growth by fully 10 inches. This field yielded fully 6 tons of hay per acre. At the time this was planted many adjoining fields planted in early June had already begun to fire. One field across the road drilled in June fifth, was then drying up and made between half and three-fourths tons per acre including Russian thistles. Second. If the seed and root bed is made firm and fine in the early work and the surface kept loose and clean of weeds, a greatly increased amount of available fertility will be accessible to the rootlets of the young plants. As previously outlined, this coupled with warm soil and a fine, firm, moist seed and root bed will promote an exceedingly rapid growth of the plant, and a quick grown plant is more tender and has less crude fiber. Third. By delaying seeding until some date 100 Progressive Agriculture between June 20 and July 20, depending on alti- tude, and to some extent on latitude, you secure a warmer soil in which to start the young plants. The higher the elevation the nearer you should come to the earlier date. As a basis for a planting time date we would say that in the central part of Nebraska and on the Kansas line, we should plant July twentieth on carefully spring tilled land and slightly earlier as you go northward and rise in altitude in proportion to the seasons' changes. By this time the soil is thoroughly warmed and a greater amount of fertility is available. This coupled with ample moisture will bring about the quick germination and a rapid root growth followed by continuous growth of the plant which means tender, succulent and palatable fodder that is hard to excel and all stock eagerly eat it. Hogs as well as cattle indi- cate great fondness for it when well cured. HOW TO PLANT CANE SEED For cane hay, we would put the seed in with a common grain drill. The land should be plowed by the fifteenth of May, and the surface kept loose and free from weeds. By close attention to holding the moisture up to plowing, the soil will be moist and in better condition to plow. The plowing should be five to seven inches deep, depending on the number of years the field has been cropped, and the plow followed closely with the sub-surface packer. If no sub-surface packer is available, use the disk harrow set straight and well weighted. From this on to the time of seed- Progressive Agri