CHAPTER IV 



Crop Yields and Proper Culture 



There are three simple and important factors 

 which have much to do with increasing the crop 

 yields: Increasing the crop-producing power of the 

 soil by fertilizing the soil; planting seed of high- 

 bred and better producing varieties ; practicing 

 proper and more thorough culture methods. 



The last of these is really the simplest and most 

 readily applied. Probably more low yields and crop 

 failures are due to insufficient or improper cultiva- 

 tion than to any other single factor over which the 

 farmer has control in the production of any par- 

 ticular crop. With a soil of average fertility, the 

 preparation of the seed bed by the proper tillage 

 and cultivation methods very largely determines the 

 yield of the crop. 



Three general methods of tillage for preparing 

 the land are practiced : Plowing, listing and 

 disking. There may be variations of these three 

 methods; as, early plowing, late plowing, shallow 

 plowing, deep plowing, single listing, double 

 listing, little cultivation after plowing, frequent cul- 

 tivation after plowing; and local conditions may de- 

 termine which method is the best. That certain 

 methods are superior to others has been proved by 

 comparative trials carried on at the experiment sta- 

 tions during recent years. The largest average 

 yield an acre with wheat in Kansas for two years, 

 37.43 bushels, and the largest net profit for one 

 year, $35.59, were secured by plowing August 15, 7 



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