The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-26
IT is A co.
MacarOni Wheat Grown Sue
cessfully in Kansas.
George w. Watson and His Ex-
pertinent This Year.
YIELD WAS 20 BUSHELS
Straw is Larger Than the Other
Varieties.
Secretary Wilson Advised Its
Use in This State.
NELDWAS 20 BUSHELS

This is the first year that Secretary Will
son, of the United States department of
agriculture. has succeeded in having mac
aroni wheat tried to any extent as a Kan
sas crop. George W. Watson. of Kinsley,
is one of the few to experiment.
His wheat was sown February q and
was ready to harvest on July l, but on
account of the wet condition of the ground
his harvest was postponed until July g.
The estimated loss was five bushels per
acre on account of the delay but the yield
was 20 bushels per acre, which was twice
good nearby wheat. Observations
of Wr. Watson's crop show that it with
stood the drouth without firing and in
that respect resembles kaffir corn When
the rains came the crop began growing
again as if nothing had happened. The
straw was twice the height of the other
wheat in the vicinity and the whole
growth was rank and strong 1t required
one and one-half bushels an acre to SOW
the field. M. A. Carlton is Secretary Will
sons macaroni wheat expert He expert
mented with the macaroni wheat under
the impression that Secretary Wilson'S
idea of Kansas being in the 'arid west"
was correct The crop sown in Kansas
this year was under water. The following
is what Mr.. Carlton said about macaroni
wheat before Secretary Wilson trayersed
Kansas by pictured boats.
"Macaroni wheats are foremost among
all wheat groups in their excellent adap-
drought. In addition, however, they re-
quire for their most successful cultivation
a soil rich in humus, a good proportion of
potash, phosphateS and lime. Where these
wheats succeed best the soil is always
found to be at least slightly alkaline.
These wheats usually grow rather tall and
. stand up well. The leaves are usually
broad and smooth, but have a peculiar
whitish green color and possess an ex-
tremely harsh cuticule. The heads are
Sinpally rather short
and thick, and are always bearded with
the longest boards that are known among
wheats- The grains are usually yellowish
white and extremely hard and CLASSY in
fracture The young plants are always
light green in color, and even when Sown
in the autumn grow at once erect and
very rapidly, thus being poorly prepared
to survive severe winter. If successful
a winter wheat, however. it will al
ways of course, give an abundance of fall
pasturage. There are many varieties, diff
fering in shape and size of head, color,
and amount of hairiness of thechaff, color
of boards, etc.
Conditions of heat and drought, rich
ness of soil, alkalinity, ETC., exactly SINH
lar to those that prevail in east Russia,
exist in the more arid regions of the great
plains, including western Kansas except
that in the Russian regions these condl-
tons are little more extreme, a rule.
At no point far west the Tooth me-
ridian is the mean annual rainfall less
than eighteen inches in the great plains
region, while the amount falling in the
similar Russian region is nowhere more
than seventeen inches. At three points in
the great plains, viz, Bismarck, North
Platte and Dodge City-all near the Tooth
meridian-the yearly mean is normally
over eighteen inches. the average for the
three points being 1873 inches. The aver
age of the normal means of various points
in the Russian region is 159 inches In
other words, the normal yearly rainfall
<xf f17rr al,
where wheat growing is at present prac-
tically nOn-existent on account of the lack
of drouth-resistant varieties, is nearly
three inches greater than that for the-e
tire semi-arid Volga region, which is one
of the principal wheat regions of Russia,
and which produces the finest macaroni
wheat in the world.
THE humidity of the air is a feature of
climate often overlooked, but it hasquite
an important influence upon plant growth.
Its effect upon the wheat plant is, in gen.
eral, unfavorable if long continued, but
particularly if it occurs in the time of
ripening. Great humidity retards matur-
fty, interferes with the production of pro-
y teids in the grain. and thereby indirectly
softens it, and through an overproduction
of starch gives it a white color, weakens
the straw, and presents conditions favor
able for the attacks of various fungous
pests. 1t is not much the great precip-
itation that causes an inferior quality of
grain in the humid areas, but the prevail
ing humidity of the air and lack of sun
shine Indeed, the actual rainfall during
the growing season may be nearly or quite
as much as in the semi-arid areas in the
humid areas. 1t is pretty generally admit
ted in regard to many crops that the quail
ity of the fruits grains is, in some re-
spects at least injured by excessive hui
nudity. 1t is especially true however, of
those crops which characterized by a
large proportion of protein or sugar in
the fruits or grains, and in the case of du-
rum wheat humidity is so injurious that