LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE 335 



bushel and three-quarters per acre, oats — two and one- 

 half to three bushels per acre, barley — two to two and a 

 half bushels per acre, and all other crops at an equally 

 heavy rate. 



283. Dates of Seeding. — Experience has shown, other 

 things being equal, that the earlier the crop, the heavier 

 the yield as it is less liable to insect damage and plant 

 diseases. Wheat should be sown as soon as the land can 

 be worked; oats and barley about the first week after 

 the land is fit for cultivation. Grasses and clovers are 

 usually sown sometime between the 15th of May and the 

 15th of June ; sunflowers during the month of May, and 

 corn between May 20th and June 10th, 



284. Weeds, Plant Diseases and Insects. — These are the 

 three factors that cause the greatest loss throughout the 

 district. Among the most pernicious weeds are peren- 

 nial sow thistle, wild oats, Canada thistle, French weed 

 and wild mustard. The plant diseases that have taken 

 the greatest toll from the farmers are rust, smut and 

 wHt. The insects are cut-worms, western saw-fly and 

 grasshoppers. 



Conclusion 



The successful farmers of the Eastern zone are those 

 who have selected suitable crops and varieties and have 

 adapted their farming practices to the control of weeds, 

 plant diseases and insects. Incidentally these practices 

 conserve moisture but this has not been the primary con- 

 sideration. The use of the bare fallow and other farm- 

 ing practices mentioned above have produced profitable 

 crops practically every year in the Red River Valley, 



