The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-08-30
No. so
WHEAT EXPERIMENTS.
Kansas E experiment. Station, Manhattan,
Kansas.

Kansas Z experiment. Station, Manhattan,
Kansas.
Wheat went through the winter in
good condition and started we'll in the
spring, when March % freeze cut it
to the ground. This delayed ripening
two weeks, making it so late that it
was caught by the black rust after the
usual time of ripening. The black rust
appeared June 17Ch as most of our
wheat was in the dough, and in three
days wheat that had promised a yield
OF 80 to 40 bushels per acre was hardly
worth cutting, the plants were dead,
the straw fallen over and the grains
shrunken to less than half size.
We grew fifty four varieties, but
most of them were so badly j. j1red by
the rust that they were not cut. The
highest yield of the Turkey, our stand
ard hard wheat, was 18 bushels per
acre, while the highest yield of the
Zimmerman, our standar d soft wheat,
was % bushels per acre,
A test was made to determine
whether it is best to plow the ground
in drouth and harrow it into shape
ready for seeding at the usual time or
wait until rain comes and then plow.
The early plowing was made July 80,
the ground turning up hard and lumpy.
1t was worked with harrows and float
until in fair tilth. October 1912 a
rain FELL wetting the ground four to
six inches, and the late plowing was
made, the land fitted and both early
and late ploWed plats seeded. From
the time the wheat started until it was
struck by the rust that on the early
ploWed ground appeared more thrifty
and promised better yield. The rust
ruined all plats. The early ploWed
land yielded 4 bushels per acre, the
late plowed 5 bushels.
A trial was made Of ordinary and
thorough preparation of ground for
wheat. That given ordinary treatment
was narrowed and f0ated until in fair
condition, but having many small clods
on the surface, q condition liked by
many Kansas wheat growers. That
given thorough treatment was gone
over with disc harrow and hoat until q
fine dust mulch four inches deep was
made. The ordinary treatment yielded
19 bushels per scre, weighing So z
pounds per struck bushel. The thor
ough treatment gave % 4 bushels per
acre, weighing 547 pounds per struck
bushel, gain in yield of nearly 18 per
cent. for Thorough treatment.
Two trials were made of ordinary
treatment of ground for wheat, thor
ough treatment and Of treating in with
the Campbell sub surface packer. In
one test the yields were, ordinary treat
ment Is bushels, thorough treatment
II z bushels, and treated with the sub
surface packer 1874 bushels. In the
other trial the yields per acre were,
ordinary treatment 8 bushels, thor.
oUgh treatment 9 8 bushels, sub sur
face packer run over the ground once
1O4 bushels, and packer used three
times 10 z bushels.
The station has had an acre in wheat
continuously for the past eighteen
years without manure to test the fer.
tiIity of the land This year Just before
the appearance Of the rust this acre
promised a yield of 80 bushels. The
wheat was nearly destroyed by the
rust and the yield was 9 n bushels.
The product OF eighteen years has been
342 5 bushels, an average of 19 bushels
per year,
The chief work of the station this
season in wheat has been in crossing
varieties to secure higher yields and
more gluten. Three thousand crosses
were made this summer and will be
! nIanEe6 this fall