324 DRY FARMING 



later but it is effective in thinning out weeds, particularly 

 those starting from small seeds such as mustard, buck- 

 Wheat and pig weed. Harrowing should only be done 

 with a light harrow on a firm soil after the crop is 5 or 

 6 inches high and on a warm sunshiny day. Heavy soils 

 should be harrowed immediately following the plow as 

 this breaks up all the lumps and leaves a good surface 

 mulch. 



Packing is best accomplished by using a disc set 

 straight and going over the soil the day the land is 

 plowed. The subsurface packer is also a good implement 

 to use. Early after harvest disking probably is bene- 

 ficial but it comes at a time when the labor supply on the 

 farm is in great demand for other necessary operations. 

 Plowing deeper than 6 inches probably does not pay. 



A farmer in the dry region should aim to get one-half 

 of his income from live stock and live stock products. 

 In the good years when he has an abundance of feed and 

 straw, this should be carried over for the years of exces- 

 sive drouth. This together with what he can produce by 

 good cultivation will assure him a steady income even 

 through the most adverse seasons. 



DRY FARMING IN MONTANA 



By Alfred Atkinson, President Montana State 



College of Agriculture. (Formerly 



Professor OF Agronomy). 



Dry farming in Montana has been practised in sections 

 of the state for a long period of years and is now thor- 

 oughly established. In the light of the experiences 

 gained, the following stand out as the essential requisites 

 which must be met if success is to be gained. 



