The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1902-06-06
9ioucer- Cypress.
IA. 3s'r s,fa.i
PEMBINA. y
NORTH DAKOTA.
FOR THE FARMERS.

ID FOR THE FARMERS.
Some Interesting Facts to Govern
Farmers In the Selection Of a Sub
stute Crop for Wheat.
A bulle6n from the experiment sta
ton at fFargo-whieh 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 1898 a killing frost occur
red Sept 9, which is the earliest date
at which SO low a temperature has
been recorded at Fargo during the past
eight years. During three of the eight
years killing frosts occurred on Sept.
II and Is. In 1896 killing frost came
upon Sept. %, and in 1893 upon Sept. rs,
while in 1895 1t reached the killing frost
point upon Sept. 80. The season of 1897
was the latest one recorded, frost hav-
ing held "ff that fall until Oct. -. On
percentage basis the above figures
indicate that q crop which would be
destroyed by "a temperature of rs deg.
Fahrenheit would take a risk of IL IL
4
8; 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
killed by frost on or before Sept. so;
100 per cent of being killed by frost on
or before Oct. -.
The writer's of the bulletin call at
tention to the fact that the exact de-
of RI nj 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 JOG days to mature;
oats require IS to l02 days to mature;
flax requires SO to 95~days to mature;
millet requires 81 to go 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-
sonab'e planting, and will need to be
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, While
grain in q similar state of maturity
during intensely warm summer wealth
er may become dead ripe" and in dam
ger of Smelling in one-half, or even one
third of that time.
1t is not a simple question in arith-
metic to determine how late particu-
lar crop may BE planted. You cannot
subtract 100 days of time from the date
Of the frost which represents the per-
oentaga 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 req
resent the limiting date for sowing
oats, even when the grower had de-
cided to risk so per cent, or take half
of chance for a crop. If II 1-2 per
cent is as much risk as he cares to
take. the record would indicate that
May 81 would be the limit. Barley and
flax nave averaged week earlier than
oats in the trials made by the station.
Certain strains of barley-particularl
some of the low growing, hulless ones
are much earlier matured than the
average varieties, and hence make less
risk in late sowing.
Mllet and corn really belong to a
class by themselves, owing to the fact
that nillet IS commonly used for hay,
and hence. does not need to mature,
while corn ripens its ears or grains
considerably after killing frosts occur.
Corn is usually grown for both the
grain and the fodder, or stover in this
state and for that reason it is not so
serious matter for it to be imn1a-
ture when frost occurs as it is in the
case of small grain. The authors Of
the. bulletin call attention to the fact
that the figures given are for eight and
nine years only, and that they should
not, on that account. be considered
final.
For the benefit Of persons who are
growing beans or other tender plants,
the bulletin writer's have given the
dates Of the occurrence of the first fall
frosts during the past eight years. viz,
when the thermometer first recorded a
temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit
CIR below. The record is as follows: