The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-06-06
= News Of the nortbWe$t~
FOR THE

80 interesting r8CtS I'D uOVern
r.rmers in the Selection of a Sub
-.ute Crop for Wheat.
hulletin from the experiment sta
M at Fargo-which may not be out
- The hands of the printer for two
r~eeks-gives the result OF eight years
ss.orvatiop upon the dates when fall
srosts occur. Taking the temperature
uhich registers rs degrees Fahrenheit
\. representing What is commonly
srown as a killing frost" the record
shows that in 1898 a killing frost occur
ed Sept. 9, which is The earliest date
:. which so low a temperature has
saen recorded at Fargo during the past
.,.ht wears. During three of the eight
.aors killing frosts occurred on Sept.
= and 1S. In 1896 a killing frost came
.,non Sept. %, and in 1893 upon Sept. rs,
.,h,,e in 1895 it reached the killing frost
ooint upon Sept. 80. The season Of 1897
roc the latest one recorded, frost hav-
,,g held off that fall until Oct. IL. On
nercentage basis the above figures
Irdicate that a crop which would be
Asstroyed by "a temperature Of rs deg.
rahrenhe;t would take a risk of II IL
,er. cent of being killed by frost Sept.
a. 10 per cent of being killed by frost
IN or before Sept. II to 49,: rs per cent
~ being killed by frost on or before
Sept. % to 25; 81 IL per cent Of being
t;,led by frost on or before Sept. so;
1m per cent Of being killed by frost on
or before Oct. IL.
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-
ouires from s5 to 1oS days to mature;
oats require SO to 102 days to nature;
fax requires SO to IS days to mature;
millet requires 81 to 90 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 be
somewhat extended for years when the
final ripening of small grains must take
place late in the season aud during .
weather. Late grain will stand for
DAYS in cool weather with very little
change in the degree Of ripeness. while
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 arith-
metic to determine how late a particu-
lar crop may be planted. You cannot
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, 1t would be easy to decide upon
q risk and make the calculation de-
scribed. If ten extra days is allowed
for grain to ripen, to offset the cool
September weather, June 4 would REP
resent the limiting date for sowing
oats. even when the grower had de-
cided to risk so per cent, or lake a
of a chance for a crop. IT IL IL pes
cent Is as much risk as he cares to
take, the record would indicate that
May II would be the limit. Barley and
fax nave averaged a week earlier than
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.
MIllcl anu GOTH really OCIohS W
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 slower. in this
state, and for that reason it Is not 50
serious a matter for 1t to be imma'
ture when frost occurs as 1t is in the
case of small grain. The authors OF
the bulletin call attention to the fac'
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 fan
1rosts during the past eight years. viz"
when the thermometer first recorded q
temperature Of 80 degrees Fahrenheit
or below. The record is as follows:
Deg