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 



