Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-09-04

as an unfalllng source of wheat supply
Climatic conditions from year to year
are not variable. There is certain to be
enough rain in the autumn to bring up
the wheat, aud there is enough in the
late spring and summer to cause the
grain to mature without being scorc1ed
There are on the average three weeks OF
snow, and the deeper the snow the bet
ter are the prospects for an abundant
crop. There is a considerable area of
wheat land yet uncultivated which is
sufficiently supplied with moisture to
insure profitable cultivation. Not over
100000 to 100000 acres of this arabic
land are in cultivation, and there is
about as much more lying unemployed.
Vast tracts in addition need but slight
irrigation to make them as rich as the
fields which for years have brought
wealth to the state. Irrigation bitches
would prove profitable in many of the
grain fields, as they would insure an
abundant crop every year, where now
summer following is expedient. The
problem of water supply is not at all
serious. The grain belts may all be
supplied from mountain ranges not far
distant, and artesian well-digging has
met with wonderful success. I might
mention the artesian wells at Pullman,
in Whitman county. The first well was
bored in the summer of 1889, and seven
others are now flowing, one supplying
the entire city water system, The
depth of the wells vary from seventy
four to 125 feet, and the water rises
about forty feet above the surface of the
ground. No diminution of flow has been
perceptible as succeeding wells were
bored and the flow averages 1000 gallons
per minute from each well.
Perhaps it would be we'll for me to
farmer has all the year to seed and all
the year to harvest. During the sum-
mer the ground is covered with a layer
of dust This layer is not thick, but it
is sufficient to cause the soil beneath to
retain its moisture. Wheat sown in this
dust in the latter part of June, July,
August and September will spring up
after the autumn rains have set in. 1t
is generally considered that from Sep
amber Is 10 December l is the best
lime for seeding, though wheat sown in
the summer and at any time in the win
er or early spring will ripen at the same
time, and 1 have known of wheat sown
in every month of the year. This is an
advantage which the eastern farmer,
limited in his seeding time, can thor
oughly appreciate.
The other great advantage is the alb
sence of necessity for haste in harvest
ing, nor does the wheat have to be
stacked A week, a month, or even six
months makes little difference. Wheat
standing after it is ripe suffers no loss,
for the crop never straw falls. The
stem is strong and the fiber tough, and
though the harvest season begins about
ho lot Of MI ho
fields until December, and occasionally
the crop is left standing until the fol-
lowing spring. Several varieties of
wheat are sowed, though the blue stem
predominates. Other popular varieties
are the red chaff, Scotch fife, little club
and Chill club. Experiments have been
made with some varieties of hard wheat,
and satisfactory Yields were obtained,
but the wheat gradually developes into
a soft wheat.
Washington wheat averages in field
per acre higher than any other state, the
accepted average for the crop of 1890
being 232 bushels. In some localities
yields of forty to sixty bushels to the
acre are quite common and often reaches
eighty bushels. In localities receiving
less moisture, in the absence of irriga-
ton, the yield is smaller. Ihave exper-
lmented with dry lands to some extent,
but found that the smaller crop in
creased the cost Of production to fifty
cents per bushel, at which figure there
was insufficient margin for profits, both
west and east Of the Cascades. One of
the best authenticated instances was a
yield Of 10lI bushels from one acre.
This was on the farm of Mr.. E. J. North
cult, of Pullman, and the land was
actually measured and the product care
fully harvested and threshed. l would
suppose that individual acres in some
of my own crops had reached nearly or
quite that figure. A few years ago
had field of 1890 acres of wheat and
from it [ had surveyors lay off in one
body exactly 1000 acres. The yield
from this tract was harvested and
threshed apart from the rest, the returns
being $4,000 bushels, which sold in the
field for sixty seven cents a bushel
This was on the foot-hill lands, which a
few years ago were considered valueless
/ have also endeavored to ascertain
the cost of production per bushel and