The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 5, 1920, Page 12

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No waste of eith- er expensive seed or valuable ground. Stmng durable, simple; the al machine for prac- t.(cal poutn plan&m& For catalog and price address A.J.PLATT Sterling, Hlinois. B e Pl P.mw.:,h-mm o UIII.I.II. muou-k Threader Press Co., 1303 Ottawa St., Luvcnwnrtb, Kansas 2 4 We want one exclusive repre- 7 gentativein each locali 7 and sell the new Mellinger Extra-Ply, hand made tires. Gunnmc Bond or ti (slgg lo l:lcflon-fnrnlegad % ot fllfi & RUBBER co.... Mention the Leader Wben Writing Advertiuers app! 1l°you .m our 8 B ADVERTISEMENTS Devil Worm Capsules Protecting Grain Fields With Straw F. H. Sweet Tells of Experience of West Virginia Farmer With This Method BY F. H. SWEET ULCHING for winter, and more especially for spring protection, has long been practiced by farmers, horticulturists and nurserymen, but not often to the extent of one farmer I know by the covering of whole fields. Yet this man, who has had several years’ experience in spreading straw upon fields seeded to small grain, de- clares it materially increases the yield, being an excellent means of protect- ing the young crop. His experience undoubtedly will furnish valuable sug- gestions to other farmers who are al- ways ready to adopt labor-saving or ¢rop-increasing measures. This farmer said that some of the most striking results were obtained by putting a top dressing of straw on fall-sown wheat and rye immedi- ately after the seeding was finished. At this time of year the ground gen- erally 'is in good condition and will not be cut up much by a team and wagon. _ With an even covering of straw on the surface, the ground holds more moisture and tends to prevent the soil from crusting after heavy rains. This allows the young shoots to break through the soil and get an early start. When a crust forms, examina- tion of the shoots show that they curl around in a tangled bunch under the crust, sometimes either breaking through after considerable delay or throwing off a new sprout, but more often dying before this occurs. Working the surface with a roller or harrow is necessary to break up the crust if it once forms. When freezing weather comes a layer of straw on the ground prevents drying out of the soil and holds the snowfall, which tends to drift wherever there is a strong wind. Besides ice sheets, which sometimes form from alternate freezing and thawing of snow, can not settle down on the crop and smother it when an insulation of straw Hes next the ground. LESSENS DANGER OF A SUDDEN THAW One of the most critical times for winter grain crops is in the early spring when the snow begins to leave and sudden freezing and thawing oc- cur. This action tends to heave the young plants out of the soil, roots and all. If the ground can be worked over with a roller before the plants are en- tirely out of the soil, the crop may be saved, but a better insurance against loss may be had from the straw covering, which, although it does not prevent freezing out of the ground, prevents sudden thawing that causes the heaving action. Later in the spring the ground has a tendency to dry out, and if there is not sufficient rain the earth begins to crack. The crop has not yet made much progress and consequently can | be seriously damaged. Here again the straw affords a protection by retard- ing the drying. Straw also proves helpful in getting a stand of clover in the grain. If clover seed is sown on a straw-covered field, when the crop sprouts it receives protection from the hot sun during the summer and from baking of the soil after the grain crop has been removed. Ex- periments made to determine the ad- vantage of spreading straw on wheat have shown increases in yield as high as 10 bushels, du§ to the straw top dressing. An application of about 1,- 800 pounds per acre gave the best results. It was also found that the PAGE TWELVE straw could be spread at any time during the winter or late spring with satisfactory results, although the ear- lier application seemed most favor- able. Top dressing spring-sown grains with straw also gave good results, ac- cording to the farmer mentioned. While he has not tried it on spring wheat, hi§ success with spreading straw on oats has led him to believe that wheat would also respond to this treatment. Straw was applied to the oats at different times, varying from immediately after seeding to the time when the crop was two or three inches high. An improvement was noticed in every case. The moisture held in the soil by the straw stimulated the growth of the crop. SPREAD EVENLY FOR TOP DRESSING In top dressing small grain with straw, or with other litter for that matter, it will pay to spread the ma- terial evenly. A plant coming up un- der a chunk or lump will likely be smothered. Besides, even spreading makes the straw go farther. In addi- tion to the protection which the straw affords, it has a fertilizing value if put upon the field before it becomes rotted and the plant food material leaches away. In this way much fer- tility can be saved to enrich the soil, which is far better than the practice of burning the straw or letting it rot in a strawpile while the fertilizing elements wash away in the drainage water. Where it is the practice to sow clover seed in with wheat, spreading straw insures protection for the clover crop as well as the wheat. Moisture held in the soil after the grain has been removed helps the young clover to make a rapid growth, oftentimes promoting sufficient growth to make excellent pasturage. It also makes a valuable green manure crop when turned under. In plowing in green manure crops or straw, the farmer referred to has found that the vege- table matter can be better distributed throughout the soil by furning the furrow slice one-half or three-quar- ters of the way over instead of com- pletely over. According to his ex- perience, when the furrow slice is turned completely over, the vegetable matter forms a mass in the bottom of the furrow and tends to prevent passage of moisture between the sub- soil and the top soil. After turning the soil partly over a disk harrow may be used to cut up the stalks and stems of decaying plants and distrib- ute them through the soil. This pul- verizes the soil, closes up cracks and smoothes the surface It the soil does not settle sufficiently a roller packer may be run over it. On practically every farm where small grain is grown there is more straw produced than can be used for feed and bedding for animals. None of this surplus straw should be wast- ed if it can be made to increase crop yields and enrich the soil at the same time. Objection has been made that wind may blow the straw into piles in the fence corners and that it af- fords a breeding place for insect pests and worms. Accordmg' to the farmer whose -experience has been related there is no danger in this respect as far as he has been able to determine. In the field the straw soon forms a mat which the wind will not lift and if insects breed in it they are turned under and destroyed in the fall. The time and effort required to spread the |8 straw is the principal consideration. llilll.lflll " Mention the Leader When Writing Advertisers For Hogs and Sheep 70 percent of live stock losses are caused by worms. My Devil Worm Capsules will kill and oflfltfin"flmfllmmituufi:‘ . pcrtect condition. i ho:lin effects for the bes! County Agcnh. wtflrfl Collecellfi ludhg Hve ltoek Red Devil Capsules for Hogs 100 Red Devil capsules, come B I P h o £ e d & ".7‘# 1 ‘(“E‘” e e S E: (4 ol T T ol R A 53 Same h-m.-.n:n uulhba&hnnfldl. ) et s e P : um be v Blue > cturluM.Hiek&Cmm % Dept. 149, 377 N, State St., Chicago, Hi. REAT A S \.92‘-/ | To get the highest price | snd rest fill, ship your | ' Cattle. Sheep and Hogs | ip the Eqmty Co-Operative ;,change UNION STOCK YARDS { Chicago, Ill. South St. Paul, Minn. WRITE FOR INFORMATION ] | i‘ | | 3 %4 Binder Twinel3 Lo ok, J0Ge 2 o el it the Co-operative way. Write or wire fi'ep?%’ AMERICAR CO-OPERATIVE ASS'N, Milwaukes, W's, 80 million mfi sold to tn-nun last year, hlro €8, 470 hflblu..l'lmln. Pa,