THE DIVERSIFIED FARM. 



83 



size of the mature stalk but probably 

 more with the climate decreasing as we 

 go north. A regular, uniform "stand" is 

 an essential to a large yield. Overcrowd- 

 ing is to be avoided but an insufficient 

 or uneven stand is a frequent source of 

 small yields. Probably from 8,000 to 

 10,000 stalks per acre may be a fair range 

 for Kansas. 



The food value of the crop increases 

 until the plants are fully matured; the 

 total dry matter increases greatly even 

 after the stalks have reached their full 

 size. There is some loss from winds 

 blowing off tassels and leaves. 



Valuable as corn is, it cannot do every- 

 thing. It needs assistance. We cannot 

 afford to grow it year after on the same 

 soil. A rotation is helpful in many ways. 

 For much of Kansas alfalfa is an admir- 

 able crop both as a means for helping 

 maintain the fertility of the soil and be- 

 cause of its great value as food. When- 

 ever it will thrive it should be grown in 

 increasing quantity. 



Kansas and Oklahoma farmers are 

 recognizing the folly of fighting against 

 nature's laws. 



Eleven counties in the eastern fourth of 

 the State grew more than one- fourth of 

 the crop of the State. Twenty-four coun- 

 ties in the western fourth grew about one- 

 fortieth of the crop eighteen of these 

 growing only about 1,500,000 bushels. 

 For the regions with insufficient rainfall 

 the sorghums, especially the Kaffir corns, 

 give promise of very great value. One of 

 the great fields for work for boards of 

 agriculture and experiment stations in 

 the regions of light rainfall is in improv 

 ing the varieties and in learning how best 

 to cultivate and feed this great crop of the 

 future. 



TRENCHING IRRIGATED LAND. 



BY F. C. BARKER, NEW MEXICO. 



TRENCHING is seldom practiced on 

 irrigated land; partly on account 

 of its cost, and partly because it is very 

 little understood in this country. The 

 European market gardeners trench their 

 ground regularly every two years at 

 least, and I am convinced that it would 

 pay on all land where the crop to be 

 raised is a valuable one. The operation 

 jn thoroughly pulverizing and 



manuring the f-oil to a depth of eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches, and it is needless to 

 point out the great superiority of soil thus 

 worked as compared with land manured 

 and plowed in the ordinary way to the 

 depth of, say, six to eight inches. Not 

 only is there a much greater supply of 

 plant food, but the loosening of the land 

 to the depth of eighteen inches enables it 

 to hold a greater amount of moisture, as 

 every one knows who has tried subsoiling. 



For the benefit of those who have never 

 seen trenching done, I will briefly state 

 how I do it myself, as the operation is 

 somewhat different where irrigation is 

 practiced from what is the rule on unir- 

 rigated land. In the first place the work 

 should be begun as early in the fall or 

 winter as the time can be spared, in order 

 that it may be finished at least a month 

 before the land is cropped. To begin 

 with, cart onto the land barnyard manure 

 at the rate of not less than sixty loads to 

 the acre. Spread this and plow it under 

 as deeply as possible. If necessary har- 

 row or drag the land and then give it a 

 good irrigation, so that the soil is moist- 

 ened to the depth of at least two feet. 

 Now leave the land for say, fifteen to 

 twenty days, or until it gets sufficiently dry 

 to work with the spade, and cart on sixty 

 loads more of manure to the acre, deposit- 

 ing it in small heaps at a distance of 

 about sixteen feet from heai) to heap. 



Having provided yourself with a sharp 

 digging spade eleven inches long,proceed to 

 dig out a space four feet wide and one spit 

 deep along one end of the piece of land. 

 Wheel or cart this soil to the other end of 

 the land, as you will need it to fill up the 

 last trench. You will now have a trench 

 four feet wide and one spade deep, onto 

 which throw manure, and having spread it 

 dig up this trench one epade deep, mix- 

 ing the manure with the soil. Then dig 

 up another stretch four feet wide, throw- 

 ing the soil upon that which was last dug. 

 Now manure and dig the second trench 

 and continue the process until you get to 

 the other end of the land, where you will 

 find the soil for filling the last trench. 

 You will thus have the whole field dug 

 and manured two spades deep. In actual 

 practice I find that the first digging does 

 not leave the trench over seven inches deep, 

 as the spade on loose soil does not clear 

 out all the earth, a good deal of it falling 

 from the spade; bu{, the second digging 



