Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-10-10
IS MACARONI
WHEAT BEST
Facts About This Variety Given in
the Year Book Of the Depart.
ment Of Agriculture.
SOME OF ITS IRREGULARITIES
Experiments So Far Made Prove It to
be a Most Valuable
Grain.

The following article on macaronl
wheat by Prof. James H. Shepard,
chemist of the South Dakota expert
ment station, from the year book of
the department of agriculture, has at.
tracted widespread attention, and will
doubtless prove of interest to farmers
in Fergus county:
Macaroni wheat is known botanical
ly as Triticum durum, to distinguish
it from ordinary bread wheat or Tri-
ticum vulgare. There are many vari
cites of macaroni wheat. Whether
these all originated from one parent
stock is not known, but such sup
position is not improbable. The durum
wheats are grown in widely separated
localities, and it is quite probable that
long cultivation under certain climatic
influences has tended to emphasize
such varietal distinctions as are now
exhibited by these wheats.
The durum wheats are grown COM
mercially in certain localities in
Spain, Italy, Algeria, India, Russia,
and Argentina, and one variety, the
Wild Goose. in Canada. the United
States some varieties, such as the
Wild Goose and the Arnautka, have
been grown in desultory manner for
number of years. The small amount
produced was grown mostly in the
northwest, but owing to insufficient
information as to it's properties and
uses and to lack of a regularly es-
tablished market it made little head
way.
In 1899 the department of agricul-
ture sent Mr.. NJ. A. Carleton, the as
sistant in charge of cereal investiga
tons, to Europe and to Asiatic Rus
STA in order to gain II possible infor.
nation in regard to macarOni wheat,
and to select such varieties as would
probably succeed in the Great Plains
region, and especially in the semi-arid
portions, where ordinary bread wheats
We're sometimes at best but an indif.
ferent crop. Mr.. Carleton made a
very thorough exploration and secur
ed large number of varieties of the
durum wheats, many of them being in
small quantities only, for scientific in
vestigations. But from the Russian
provinces north of the Sea of Axov
the home of the best of the macaron
wheats, where the climatic conditions
bear striking resemblance to those
OF the Great Plains, he secured a mum
Der of bushels of the best varieties
such as the kubanka, the Velvet Don
and the Yellow Gharnovka These
wheats the department of agriculture
distributed to growers in suitable 10
calities, thereby increasing the stock
1t was the privilege of the writer tt
assist in prOpogating some of these
varieties, thus affording him an op
portunity to make an early acQuain
lance with them under field conditions
The crop secured, together with two
fresh importations, was distributed ir
1901 to the farmers of the northwes
through the experiment stations Of
the various states. In the spring Of
1900 the Northwestern state expert
ment stations, in cooperation with the
department of agriculture, undertook
the exhaustive study of the new
wheats. In this wor kthe South Da
kota station has taken an active part
and the writer has had occasion t
make critical study of the chemica
and milling properties of the differen
varieties.
Increase in the Production.
Since the department of agriculture
undertook the work the production o
macaroni wheat in the northwest ha
increased with astonishing rapidity
Tine estimated crop of the two Dako
tas alone during the season of 1870.
is 10,5O0,000 bushels. Perhaps no 9th
er new crop has been so warmly wei
coined by farmers in the regions suit
able to its growth. The reason TO
this is found in the splendid adapt
bility of these new wheats to the eli
matte and soil conditions of the Grea
Plains region. Macaroni wheat thrive
in abundant sunshine, does not requir
a large amount of moisture resist
vigorously the attacks of the smut
and rusts, and is a strong grower
yielding largely (from rs to 100 pc
cent? in excess of the ordinary brea'
wheats, which often produce indiffe1
ent crops in the semi-arid regions Q
the Northwest.
The several varieties of macaror
chemical and milling properties, ne,
ertheless possess many traits in con
mon. They have strong straws, whic
prevent lodging; also heavy and some
what persistent chaff, furnished wit
long Boards which protect the kernel
fom the fierce heat of the sun an
prevent shattering-a grave objectio
to our common blue stems
Methods Of Cultivation.
The cultivation of these new wheat
requires little variation from the metl
DDS employed in growing ordinar
spring bread wheats. The same soil
answer admirably: sowings are mad
at the same time in the spring, an
the preparation of othe soil is tn
same. 1t is probable that some vari
ties can be converted into winte
wheats farther south. Owing to tn
large kernels of the macaroni wheat
and to the fact that they do not stot
so freely, pecks per acre are SOW
on good rich soil, while a poorer so
requires at least six pecks. Befo,
harvesting, the grain is allowed to ri
en- fully, and if it can be threshed wit
out suffering from the rains the qua
ityof the grain is much improved.
is better, therefore, to thresh direct
from the shock, when possible. Whe
the wheat is first stacked, befol
threshing, it should be allowed to {
through the usual sweating proce!
and become thoroughly dry, otherwis
1t will offer some difficulty in TIRES
ing. In any event the thresher mu
have a full set of cOncave teeth, an
the sleeves must be so arranged tn: