16 BULLETIN 268, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



not strictly comparable, summer tillage has increased the yield over 

 fall and spring plowing of cropped land nearly one-half. The aver- 

 age increase over disking corn ground has not been nearly so great. 



These increases in yields have not been in proportion to the increased 

 cost of the method. In no case has it been the most profitable method 

 under trial. As values and cost are here figured, this method shows 

 a profit at only four stations, Judith Basin, Williston, Dickinson, and 

 Hettinger. At Scottsbluff, North Platte, and Hays the losses have 

 been small. At the other seven stations they have been sufficiently 

 great to discourage the hope of changing them to profits by the exten- 

 sion of the record or by the adjustment of value or cost. 



Green manuring for barley has been tried at only two stations, 

 Huntley and Hays. At Huntley, where it was in comparison with 

 only spring plowing and disking corn ground, it gave the highest 

 yield. This average is the highest resulting from any method at any 

 station. The record, however, is for only two years. At Hays the 

 yield from this preparation has been higher than that on land from 

 which a crop was harvested, but not as high as on summer- tilled land. 



CORN. 



In Table VI are assembled the average yields of corn produced by 

 each method at the several stations. The profits or losses attending 

 the use of each method in the production of corn are also shown. 



Table VI shows that during the years covered by this work cred- 

 itable average yields of grain have been obtained from all methods 

 at Huntley, Williston, Dickinson, Scottsbluff, North Platte, and 

 Akron, and from one method at Belle Fourche and Dalhart. No 

 grain has been produced at either the Judith Basin station or at Gar- 

 den City. 



The corn is harvested either when mature or when growth is stopped 

 by frost. It is cut with a binder and shocked in the field. The shocks 

 stand until cured, usually about a month. They are then weighed, 

 and the sound com, if any, is husked and weighed. Where sound corn 

 is produced, the yield as tabulated is given in bushels as " Grain." 

 The term "Stover" x is used to show the total weight when no grain is 

 produced and the difference between the weight of the grain and the 

 total weight when corn is husked. The grain weights are converted 

 into bushels on the basis of 70 to 75 pounds per bushel, depending 

 upon the dryness at the time of husking. 



There has been little difference in the average yields from the differ- 

 ent cultural methods in use at Williston, Edgeley, Hays, and Ama- 

 rillo. At Dickinson, Belle Fourche, and Dalhart, the only method of 

 preparation giving yields departing far from the others has been 



1 In the tables of this bulletin only the term "stover" is used because the corn was husked whenever 

 marketable or whenever it was produced in sufficient quantity to warrant husking. In cases where the 

 yield of grain was not sufficient to warrant husking, the term "fodder" would be more exact. 



