344 DRY FARMING 



down with a nurse crop of barley. The land is cleaned 

 to some extent by means of the cultivation given after 

 the sod is plowed in the third year of the rotation, 

 while the manure applied in the winter of the first year 

 to the surface of the sod maintains fertility, and the 

 weed seeds contained therein are largely destroyed prior 

 to the plowing of the land in the third year of the 

 rotation. On account of the liberal rainfall in May or 

 June weed seeds germinate near the surface and in the 

 manure, but lack sufficient roothold to come to ma- 

 turity, and are thus destroyed. Such a rotation has re- 

 sulted in the freeing of land from weeds to a remarkable 

 extent, and has also built the land up as to fertility to a 

 noticeable degree. 



293. Corn vs. the Fallow. Corn has been tested for 

 some years in Central Alberta with rather indifferent 

 success. During only about half of the years, has it 

 given a crop which could be called profitable, and the 

 risk thus indicated is too great to warrant the general 

 use of this crop in that part of the country. It is ad- 

 mitted that an intertilled crop would be an advantage if 

 it were practical in a large way, and economical use 

 could be made of the fodders grown. The sunflower may 

 prove to be a plant which can be utilized in this section 

 of the country to good advantage because it resists frost 

 better than corn, and from the data at hand would ap- 

 pear to be superior to corn. When the size of farms 

 reaches a better balance in relation to the amount of 

 labor available this intertilled crop will command 

 much more attention, and can be used to splendid ad- 

 vantage in conjunction with silos. Such use of crops 

 suitable for ensilage and of silos will result in doubling 

 the stock-carrying capacity of land. 



