Experimental Work ix Drv-Farmixc 



541 



1910, following light rains. The held was then harrowed lightly. 

 After rains during the succeeding March it was again harrowed and 

 a good seed bed prepared. 



The Smith property has been farmed intermittently since 1902. 

 No effort had been made to control weeds for at least two years 

 prior to the establishment of the Experiment Station farm. As a 

 result, available soil moisture has been quite thoroughly exhausted, 

 and persistent weeds seriousl_\- interfered with operations of the 



F.g. 15. — Wash on the Snowflake Diy-farm, showing uniformity of soil. 



first two years. The soil, about ten feet deep, is a very fertile fine 

 sandv loam veneered with four or five inches of wind-deposited 

 sandy soil from Cottonwood Wash, the high winds of spring caus- 

 ing considerable soil movement. A part of the farm was plowed 

 in the spring of 1912, and subsequently disced and cultivated with 

 a knife weeder. The weeds persisted, how^ever, and about one-half 

 of the field was plowed shallow in July. A second and deeper 

 plowing was made during late August and early September, but 

 the weeds still persisted to send up sprouts until they were killed 

 back by frost late in September. In order to expose underground 

 stems of certain weeds to winter freezing, another plowing was 

 started in December, but was unfinished because of a heavy freeze. 



