10 
BULLETIN 1233, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
General experience indicates that deeper plowing is too expensive 
and in dry seasons may actually decrease yields, but in wet seasons 
it may be of benefit. 
A comparison of yields on fallow and following small grains is 
of great importance in an area where a major part of the cropped 
land is in wheat, since much of the grain is necessarily on land that 
was in grain the previous year. Several rotations offer comparisons 
of the two methods. Grain stubble that is compared with fallow, 
was plowed either in the fall or spring except a few plats at Het- 
tinger, which were stubbled in for two seasons. 
Yields of wheat, oats, barley, and corn following both small grain 
and fallow at the three stations are assembled in Table 7. 
Table 7. — Yields of wheat, oats, barley, and com following fallow and follow- 
ing small 'grains at Dickinson, Hettinger, and Williston, V. Dak., for the 
periods specified 
Dickinson, 
1908 to 1923 
Hettinger, 1912 to 1922 Williston, 1910 to 1920 
Crop 
Following 
fallow 
Following 
small grains 
Following 
fallow 
Following Following 
small grains fallow 
Following 
small grains 
Num- 
ber 
of 
plats 
Bush- 
els 
Num- 
ber 
of 
plats 
Bush- 
els 
Num- 
ber Bush- 
of els 
plats ! 
Num- 
ber Bush- 
of els 
plats 
Num- 
ber 
of 
plats 
Bush- 
els 
Num- 
ber 
of 
plats 
Bush- 
els 
Wheat . 
3 
3 
1 
21.5 
45.5 
2fi.fi 
3 
8 
15.9 
3fi n 
8 | 16. 9 
5 35.4 
1 1 28.6 
1 2 5, 627 
» 2 10. 4 
i 6 25. 9 
i2| 20. 9 
18 2 6, 028 
3 
3 
1 
1 
18.0 
40.0 
28.7 
18.9 
5 14.0 
Oats 
8 28.1 
Barley 
1 ! 20.8 
20 149 
!3 13.7 
1 
16 13. 1 
1 Includes two plats continuously cropped. 
2 Pounds green weight for silage. Average for nine years, from 1914 to 1922, inclusive. 
At Dickinson three plats of wheat on fallow averaged 21.5 bushels 
and three on oat stubble 15.9 bushels, an increase of 5.6 bushels in 
favor of fallow. Three plats of oats on fallow averaged 45.5 bushels, 
and eight plats on small-grain stubble averaged 36 bushels, an in- 
crease of 9.5 bushels on fallow. A single plat of barley on fallow 
averaged 26.6 bushels and one on spring-plowed oat stubble 20.8 
bushels, or 5.8 bushels more on fallow. A single plat of corn on 
fallow averaged 17.4 bushels, and 20 plats on small-grain stubble 
averaged 14.9 bushels. The results at Dickinson all show a decided 
increase in the yield of grains grown on fallow when compared with 
those grown on small-grain stubble. 
A greater contrast in yields following the use of the two methods 
is shown at Hettinger than at Dickinson except for corn silage. 
Eight plats of wheat on fallow averaged 16.9 bushels, and two plats 
cropped continuously to wheat, one with spring and the other with 
fall plowing, averaged only 10.4 bushels. Oats averaged 35.4 bushels 
on five fallow plats and 25.9 bushels on six grain-stubble plats. Bar- 
lev averaged 28.2 bushels on a single plat of fallow and 20.9 bushels 
on the spring-plowed and fall-plowed plats in the continuous-crop- 
ping series. 
The yield of corn silage on a single plat grown on fallow averaged 
5,627 pounds, and on 18 plats on grain stubble it averaged 6,028 
pounds. Of these 18 plats 6 on spring-plowed wheat stubbie averag- 
ed 6,133 pounds and 12 on spring-plowed oat stubble 5.976 pounds 
