56 



wheel should be used instead of the single press wheel ordinarily placed 

 on these drills. If the soil bakes the double press wheel will leave a 

 crack or opening in the centre directly over the seed through 

 which the germinating plantlets can push their way out of the 

 ground. It is not necessary here to go into details of the farm 

 buildings and fences required, for they are something to be worked 

 out according to the capital and tastes of each individual farmer. 

 The point I would make in speaking of necessary equipment is that 

 it does not require any new or complicated or expensive machinery to 

 do successful dry-farming under the best methods." 



APPENDIX IIP 



DRY-FARMING IN MONTANA. 



"The following is a summary of the results of dry-farming in Montana 

 as given in Bulletin No. 74 of the Montana Agricultural College and 

 Experiment Station : — 



(1) That dry-farming may be carried on in many sections of 

 Montana and will return reasonable profits on the money and 

 effort invested. This means that much of the great level 

 area of the State, which will never be irrigated, may be made 

 to support comfortable homes and pay returns to the State 

 sufficient to place the " dry-lands " amongst the State's valued 

 resources ; 



(2) that Turkey Red fall wheat has been the highest yielder 

 of all crops grown. Fall (autumn) sown crops yield better 

 on the average than spring sown crops, so we believe that 

 fall wheat and fall rye will have a prominent place amongst 

 the crops grown on the most successfully managed dry- 

 farms ; 



(3) that while the experimental results have not been carried far 

 enough to indicate positive conclusions, yet we feel safe in 

 advocating the use of from three to five pecks (45 to 75 lbs.) 

 of seed per acre with the different grains rather than a larger 

 amount ; 



(4) that growing grain each alternate year, with a properly 

 cultivated summer fallow between, will bring decidedly more 

 profitable returns than growing grain every vear on the same 

 field ; 



(5) that it is important to keep the summer fallow cultivated 

 during' the season in order to keep down weeds and volunteer 

 grain and maintain a soil mulch for the accumulation of 



moisture. 



Continuous Cropping versus Alternate Cropping and Fallow. 



The table presented herewith shows the average results from grain 

 grown continuously on the same land and from grain grown on land that 



