The Yale expositor., 1901-08-09
Wheat Is King.

Wheat is today, as it has been for
centuries past, the staple food article
of civilized man. No other product of
the soil ranks with wheat as human
food, and the consuming nations are
most careful to garner sufficiency to
serve their people for a given period,
and to watch most eagerly the sources
of supply. The demand for wheat has
never yielded an inch to the onslaught
of other food products that have vigor-
ously sought for generations to sup
plant it. This present year we appear
to have entered upon a period of de-
creasing worlds supply. We hear Of
partial failures in Germany, France
and Russia, and the outlook is for a
record breaking export demand upon
the wheat supply of this country.
Michigan wheat growers have for two
years been unfortunate in seeing their
crops attacked by the Hessian fly, but
we should not forget that in 1898 we
raised the largest and best crop that
was ever grown in the state. What
we have done we can do again. Per-
sistence commands success, and our
wheat growers should apply all known
remedies and preventives against the
fly and endeavor next year to equal
past records in wheat growing.
The ravages of the fly can be very
materially counteracted in Michigan
by several methods not difficult of ap-
plication.
l. BY burning the stubble. This
is very effective, and is being largely
practiced in the west, and is effective
not only in destroying the Hessian fly
in the stubble, but hordes of other in
furious insects. 1t is of course i'm
practicable in fields seeded to grass.
2. BY thorough fertilization, espec-
tally with commercial fertilizers. This
gives to the young plant strength and
vigor to withstand the first attack of
the destroyer. Thorough stirring of
the ground before seeding is desirable.
3. BY sowing strip of wheat
around the field very early in the fall
and allowing this to become harbor-
ing place or trap for the Hessian fly,
and then blowing it under deep before
the field is seeded.
4. BY late sowing; in Michigan from
the 1st to the 10th of October, not
before. Even later sowing is permiss-
able. This is generally very reliable,
Notwithstanding the experience of 1900
was unfavorable. Much, of course, de-
pends upon the time in the fall when
frosts appear and also the time when
freezing weather sets in of sufficient
degree to stop the growth of the plant.
With winter coming as late as it did
last year, even sowing in the first part
of October is too early, while if we
had an early settling in of winter it
would of course be desirable to sow
sufficiently early to get reasonable
amount of growth in the plant before
winter. In nine years out of ten we
have nipping frost in this state in
October which will destroy the insects
near the earth before the eggs are laid
in the young plant.
5, Seed wheat should be most care
fully selected with reference to the
variety, the purity, plumpness and
strength of the grain, and its freedom
from smut or mixture of other grains.
Smut may be cured by proper treat
ment of the seed wheat when it is not
convenient to obtain feed that is free
from it. Plump, large kernels will al
ways produce the best and healthiest
stand. Dawson's Golden Chaff has
withstood the Hessian fly and other
pests very we'll and has proved to be an
excellent and reliable Michigan yielder.
Some of the red varieties, notably the
Rudy, have also proved excellent for
Michigan