Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-06-05
FOR THE FARMERS.
Sme Interesting Facts to Govern
Warmers in the SelectFon Of Sub.

C1FmeFo IN tine SeleCtf0H OF q SUD-
stute Crop for Wheat.
A bulletin from the experiment sta
zion at Fargo-which may not be out
Of the hands of the printer for two
weeks-gives the result Of eight years
observation upon the dates when fall
frosts occur. Taking the temperature
which registers 26 degrees Fahrenheit
as representing what is commonly
known as killing frost" the record
shows that in 1893 killing frost occur
ced Sept. 9, which is the earliest date
at which, so low a temperature has
teen recorded at Fargo during the past
eight years. During three of the eight
years killing frosts occurred on Sept.
Il and IS. In 1895 killing frost came
upon Sept. %. and in 1898 upon Sept. Is,
while in 1895 it reached the killing frost
roint upon Sept. 80. The season of 1897
was the latest one recorded, frost hav-
Ing held off that fall until Oct. IL. On
q percentage basis the above figures
Indicate that a crop which would De
destroyed by "a temperature of 26 deg.
Fahrenheit would take risk of II IL
ler cent Of being killed by frost Sept.
| 3; so per cent of being killed by frost
on or before Sept. II to Is: IS per cent
| Of being killed by frost on or before
Sept. % to 25; 81 1-2 per cent Of being
killed by frost on OF before Sept. 50;
100 per cent of being killed by frost on
or before Oct. u.
The writer's of the bulletin call at
tention to the fact that the exact de-
gree Of cold required to injure wheat
depends to some extent upon the stage
Of growth of the plant, and. possibly,
upon some other minor points.
The bulletin shows that wheat re-
quires from IS to 1O6 days ito mature:
oats require SO to 102 days to mature;
flax requires SO to IS days to mature;
millet requires 81 to 80 days to mature;
corn requires about 100 days to mature.
The number of days required for rip
ening the crops listed above is for sea-
sonable planting, and will need to pc
somewhat extended for years when the
final ripening of small grains must take
place late in the season aud during cool
weather. Late grain will stand for
days in cool weather with very little
change in the degree of ripeness, Whlle
grain in a similar state of maturity
during intensely warm summer wealth
er may become dead ripe" and in dan
ger of Smelling in one-half, or even one
third of that time.
It is not a simple question in arlth-
metic to determine how late particu-
lar crop may be planted. You cannon
subtract 100 days of time from the date
of the frost which represents the per-
eentaga of risk that the wheat grower
has decided to take. If that were the
case, it would be easy to decide upon
a risk and make the calculation de-
scribed. If ten extra days is allowed
for grain to ripen, to offset the cool
September weather, June would rep
resent the limiting date for sowing
oats. even when the grower had de-
cided to risk so per cent, or take nan
Of chance for crop. If II IL pee
cent is as much risk as he cares 70
take, the record would indicate that
May 81 would be the limit. Barley ano
flax nave averaged a week earlier thal1
oats in the trials made by the station
Certain strains of barley-particularly
some of the low-growing, hulless ones
are much earlier matured than the
average varieties, and hence make less
risk in late sowing.
Millet and corn really belong to
class by themselves, owing to the tac'
that nillet is commonly used for nay
and hence does not need to mature
while corn ripens it's ears or grains
considerably after killing frosts occur
Corn is usually grown for both the
grain aui the fodder, or slower, IN TINS
state, and for that reason it is not sc
serious a matter for it to be imma'
ture when frost occurs as it is in the
case of small grain. The authors 0,
the bulletin call attention to the fac
that the figures given are for eight ane
nine years only, and that they shoulc
not. on that account, be considerec
final.
For the benefit Of persons who are
growing beans or other tender plants
the bulletin writer's have given tins
dates of the occurrence of the first fal
frosts during the past eight years, viz
when the thermometer first recorded
temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenhel
or below. The record is as follows:
Deg
vo,r Fab
i ,oos A,,a o. BOZ
1896, Aug. Il. ....... ..........' ol7
1898, Sept. S.. .........''.... ~
1894, Sept. H.. 80. .......... ~
1898, Sept. 49,. ................ ~
1900, Sept. H.. ............... 20
1897, Sept. IT,. ..............''' ~
Ok ~