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THIRD ANNUAL SESSIONS 



our farm. He got about five rods wide around the 40 acres, when for some 

 reason he was called away, and five weeks elapsed before any further 

 work was done. He came back. Now, these five weeks would be the 

 last half of July and major part of August. He came back, took the same 

 plow, plowed the same depth, followed with the packer in the same man- 

 ner, following the packer with the same harrow, exactly as he had done 

 the previous part of it, and just at the close of this, came a. gentle all- 

 day rain, not a dashing rain, but one that percolated down in and mois- 

 tened the soil very nicely. As soon as the surface was dry, he went on 

 with the harrow and loosened it up. The seed was put in. When he 

 started in with this plowing, I called our foreman's attention to the fact 

 that there was going to be a beautiful demonstration. When that crop 

 was ready to harvest in 1905, myself and two other gentlemen went to the 

 field and looked it over carefully and we unitedly decided that the out- 

 side strip would make 50 bushels while the center would make 20. Now, 

 gentlemen, here is a demonstration of many things. It is such things that 

 are puzzling our farmers today. 



Now we are getting down to fundamental principles, the real neces- 

 sary features of that physi'cal condition of the ground, by which we can 

 utilize the elements of air and water in proper quantities together with 

 heat and light. 



Soil Treatment. 



The question of cultivating the soi'l is the most complex science we 

 have. What is fertility? Do we know? Does anybody know? I doubt it. 



I wish to take up the question of summer fallowing versus sum- 

 mer culture, a subject which I have tried to promote so earnestly. 



Acreage Yields. 



On our Hill City farm, we summer tilled in 1900. In 1901, 42 

 bushels of wheat per acre were harvested on that ground. Remember, 1901 

 was a hot summer. It was an excessive heat for 100 days and yet our 

 crop went through and made the yield stated above. The next year the 

 land was summer tilled again. The following four years, it has been con- 

 tinuously cropped. 



Summer Fallow — Acreage Yields. 



Last year, (1906), was hailed out just before the harvest and we 

 connot tell just what the yield was, but they got something like 23 

 bushels. It was estimated by five men who went out to look it OA'^er that 

 at least half of the heads were down where the harvester could not reach 

 them. Of course some of the rest shelled out. We had, "beyond any ques- 

 tion, an average of 40 bushels to the acre for four consecutive years 

 after the summer fallowing. \ 



Summer Fallow. 



In summer tilling the ground there is a preparation of plant ele- 

 ments, just how this is brought about we do not know, but theoretically, 

 I have sized it up in this way: It is the result of the development of 



