The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-02-09
Valuable Information Acquired In EX-
perimentins With This Cereal.
How the Cost OF Producing and
Harvesting n Crop Can be
Earned By lncreas-
ting the Yield.

aSio. as ~ ucst 10 summer IailOW Jour,
six or ten inches deep? Does double
blowing pay, and should the first plow-
ing be done in the fall or in the early
spring. Which variety Of wheat is the
most prolific? Will small or shriveled
kernel OF wheat STOW as productivity Us
a large and plump berry? Is it best to
vitriol seed wheat twice?
These are all questions of importance
to every farmer, and yet probably no
farmer knows the correct answer to all OF
them. Many farmers will say they know
but the many would divide about equally
in their opinions on each question, the
fact being that not one of them knows,
unless he has in q thorough manner
tested the question for at least two sea-
sons, and it is fair to presume that farm.
ers who have made such tests are exceed
ingly rare, for farming is the one business
that is carried on in the most unbusiness-
like manner. In every other line OF BUSH
ness men largely learn by experiments
what is best for them to do. Why don't
farmers experiment? Nearly all the ex-
periments they should make would cost
them very little, practically nothing. II
then the profits to be desired from farm
ing experiments are considerable, there
is no good reason why every wheat farmer
shouldn't experiment on all the questions
above listed. And the profits are consid-
cradle. A farmer who makes these tests
will acquire knowledge by which he can
thereafter earn On his farm, above what
he was before able to earn, as much or
more than the total cost OF the crop.
This looks on the face OF it like an exag-
gerated statement, but every farmer who
will consider the question in detail will
realize that it is moderate claim. Let
us here go into the details Of the expert
ments suggested.
II, for three successive seasons, we
pillow an acre four inches deep, anosher
adjoining it six inches, another eight and
another ten, and in every other respect
farm them all alike, we will know a. The
expiration OF the three years that deep.
shallow or medium blowing produces the
best on our land, and that the difference
is-say two bushels to the acre Ny ex-
periments have shown me that on nv
farm, where the soil Is light, deep plow-
ing yields more than shallow blowing by
from three to eight bushels per acre. &C.
cording to the season, for the loss BY shall
low blowing is not so great in wet sea
sons as in dry ones. But If the farmer
gained but two bushels to the acre by
blowing the right depth, he would have
made the cost of his seed and four times
narrowing his land. Ii he finds by these
acre experiments that three pecks OF seed
to an acre yield as well as five pecks
land some claim 1t yields more), he has
made gain of nearly the cost of drilling
in his wheat. II he finds, as I have by
experiments, that the earliest spring
blowing the weather will permit Of, beats
later spring blowing by at least two or
three bushels to the acre, he will have
gained enough to head his wheat II il
is found, as / believe It would be, that
the farmer of light soil will be benefited
by getting his seed from farmer oil
heavy soil, and the farmer OF heavy soil
should get his seed from the light soil
farmer. the gain from this would proba-
bly, be at least two bushels, or enough to
pay for the blowing. II ..he finds, as l
hope to by experiments, that there is a
certain variety Of wheat which will out
yield all others, he will have gained three
or four bushels to the acre, perhaps FIVE,
and perhaps ten. If he thus gains three
bushels he will have sufficient to pay for
his threshing, and that completes the
list Of expenses OF the crop.
II won't do for the farmers to depend
upon the experiments of an agricultural
college, or on the experience OF one or a
few other farmers who have experiment.
ed, for the soil and climate oil differen,
parts of Washington and Oregon vary
greatly. An experiment in farming il
mainly beneficial but TO the neighborhood
OF the locality where made. However, a.
each farmer has many neighbors, a con,
siderable good might be done II eact
would publish the results OF bis expert
ments, and he could do good to a greater
number II he would state the character o
soil and climate wherein his experiment,
are made.
In my experiments on seed wheats
am now on my third season with twenty
varieties. find that to choose seeC
wheat, with due regard to the nature o
the soil and climate, requires no ordinar,
amount Of knowledge, Soil and climat,
are the two great factors which exercis,
the most powerful influence on tn,
growth and yield of wheat. One veriet,
of wheat would prosper under fainfal
that would be insufficient for other varie
ties, and other varieties would lodge Will
a rainfall that would be necessary to sus
tain a different wheat The result o
putting wheat which requires rich soil o
much cultivation into poor soil, or tn,
putting Of variety OF wheat into ricl
soil which yields a maximum result il
poor soil, would be bad. Whests tina
shatter largely will do for countries wher
binder is used, or where the farm i
small, but not in places such as Washing
ton and Oregon. A wheat which ripen
| late Ia only suitable to a country hayin