Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-09
WHEAT CULTURE IN TEXAS.

! that the wheat culture Of this country IS
slowly but surely moving southwark, due
! probably 10 natural causes not Yet eX-
! planned. The great wheat rerions Of the
| extreme North are gradually failing as such,
though every effort 10 keep up the lands
| and make all conditions favorable is dill
! gently raSorted to. There is no mistaliing
| the indications For decade or more of
! years crops have annually been growing
| lighter along the northern border of the
wheat belt, on an average, aud heavier
| along the southern border, and the south
ern border is moving further and further
towards the equator
There is nothing very wonderful in this
| apparent phenomenon when one has studied
the history Of wheat. History gives no
| dates when wheat was first cultivated
by man. for the most ancient records at our
disposal mention II rs then nothing new.
The actual place OF lis origin remains
somewhat in DOUBT. but ali best authorities
agree that it must have been native of
either Persia or India-possibly both. Thus
we see that wheat is a native Of warm
countries and in all cases where it has been
carried 10 higher attitudes il has been forced
there by The efforts and ingenuity of man.
BY a continuation Of his forcing through
selection and otherwise, ii may now be cul-
tjvatcd It long way north of It's natural
cline, but. rs ia the case Of all plants 50
forced, its constant tendency is back TO-
ward tho natural conditions which gave it
an origin. This clearly explains why
wheat culture in This country is
slowly hut surely moving south
ward The old varieties cultivated Is
Northern varieties are running out as such.
and are becoming Southern varieties and
unless new varieties forced mo an endia'-
,iucc OF Northern conditions are speedily ia
troduced profitable wheat culture must
eventually cease 10 have an existence AT the
North.
II has worked exactly that WA il The Old
World. The wheat countries of Europe de-
serving OF that HaIae are the southern
France leads them.
We can well remember when winter
wheat could not I've grown in this country
north of Springfield. H. A. the wheat
raised above that point was sown in spring,
and 50 inferior WIS il as 10 quality that no
great amount was sown. Bur finally varie-
ties forced into an adoption Of unnatural
conditions were introduced. ana then winter
wheat was grown in the eNtrrme northern
states, giving that section the name of being
a great wheat country. In obedience 10
natural laws that forced wheat i getting
matter Of course. is moving towards its
natural habitat so far Us relates 10 climatic
conditions.
Once We get good variety Of wheat
established in Texas there viii exist no
kind of danger Of its ever running out. Tie
Northern varieties that we are now sowing
DO not at once give results so good as would
varieties long sown here. and hence changed
OF reclaimed. as it were, from their forced
Northern characteristics. In long time
those characteristics would be thrown of
naturally, but we might greatly hasten that
desirable attainment by a careful selection
of seed. Professor Patterson shows how
This kind of thing may be made to work. b.
referring 10 wheat culture in Colorado He
says.
Professor Bowen has grown wheat in
Colorado a the rate Of eighty bushels Ia
The acre. and in ms experiments the chief
factors were thin seeding and the selection
of the seed by hand. While the enormous
increase in the Weld thus obtained i worthy
of the first consideration. the great saving
OF seed must not be overlooked. Seven and
Ouehaf pounds of this carefully selected
grain suficed Professor Bowen for the
!, al an at.1sa no n HON,
foot apart each way. This seems like an
unreasonable statement. but the Colorado
state experiments! station IS authority for
the same.
Here, then, Is mapped out an important
work for the enterpr!Sing Texas farmer 10
dc. He SHOULD a, once begin the selection
of seed wheat from his own field. Pick out
by hand the biggest. finest and best heads.
with large and plump grains-best in every
respect. Lay them away carefully for the
next falls sowing. If he can lind but half |
dozen heads presenting every desirable !
characteristic, So far SO good. Sow the /!
grains Of these heads in patch away of !
from the main wheat field, and next year !
again select the very best from the result |
If few OF our farmers would pursue this !
body knew about it some one among them |
would pop to the surface with variety of !
Texas seed wheat for So le, amply qualified !
TO make Texas the gre .est wheat country |
in the known world.
That's exactly what Texas will be at no !
distant day, mark our word Tor it. young |
man. for you'll live to see it. Texas will |
have the wheat production OF this country |
al her own way. As already shown North |
cru wheat culture is rapidly running out, |
while here it is rapidly coming in. Little |
Is has been thought Of il, statistics show !
that Texas has long been beating the North |
erp states in wheat, and beating them |
badly. The average yield OF wheat in the |
so-caled wheat regions of our state has |
been largely above that of the states uu /
North figuring most onspicuously as wheat |
states. This year our Weld has mora than
doubled theirs.
OF course It is 70 be presumed that they |
hat,