Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-02-02
CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS.
News and Views of Interest In Nari-
ous Lines of Agriculture.

Washington, d. C.-Durum wheat, +
which has hitherto been exploited In
this country simply as the so called I
"macaronir wheat, is now receiving at |
tention from the bureau of plant indus !
try as a bread wheat In report on
fits commercial status just made by
Messrs. Carleton and Chamberlain the
continued success of milling and bak-
ing operations with this wheat Is cited
as demonstrating that durum wheat
has not heretofore been given It's prop
er rank. They are of the opinion that
it should properly be considered as a
wheat Of the highest class, ranking
with hard spring and hard winter, but
should be graded on its own merits and
kept absolutely distinct from either of
these. These Investigators affirm that
so long as durum wheat is grown
where 1t is well adapted it will always
possess certain special qualities of
commercial value not existing to so
great degree in other wheats:
First-In the strictly semiarid dis
tricts 1t usually ripens earlier than 9th
er spring wheats. This allows the
wheat greater chance to escape insect
and fungous pests and thus insures
plumper, finer kernel.
Second-Freedom from rust and
smut is still further insured by the
natural resistance of this wheat to the
attacks of such fungi The Importance
Of smut resistance in the fields Of the
northwest is manifest to those who are
aware of the great damage to wheat
from this cause in that region.
Third.-Hard spring and winter
wheats are known to produce harder,
better grain in the drier districts and
in dry seasons. Durum wheat, being
particularly adapted to such conditions,
always furnishes an excellent hard
grain without a corresponding decrease
in yield.
Eourth.-Accompan this drought
resistance and hardness of grain is a
corresponding increase in the quantity
and quality of the gluten.
Fifth.-In analyses Of flour and bread
it is shown that the sugar content OF
durum wheat is considerably greater
than that of other wheats. Even
small percentage of differeu in this
respect Is OF great ~ IAS
baker during a years operations.
Sixth.-The extreme dryness of the
durum wheat grain In a good season
gives the -four great power OF absorp-
ton, which, other conditions being
equal, allows the baker to obtain more
loaves from the same weight of flour
and in some cases would thus give this
wheat great advantage over other
| wheat -four Of less absorption.
InecuIatfon of Land.
The "yeast cakes" of the department
of agriculture, otherwise small pack
ages of nitrogen gathering bacteria
which are particularly favorable to the
growth of certain crops, continue to be
q matter of interest. 1t has been for
some time known that small organ
isms that serve the purpose of collect
ing nitrogen sometimes live on the
roots of clover and various ieguminous
| crops and that where these organisms
are plentiful bigger and better crops
and fertility of soil are assured. Ii
| they do not originally exist in soil
where these crops are to be grown they
can be artifcially introduced. The bu-
reau of plant industry has devised the
method of growing and propagating
| these organisms and sending them by
mail to farmers for application to the
soils. The little package of bacterial
germs In connection with some cheml-
Gals that accompany it is added to wa
| ter, producing after short time
milky solution (due to the growth OF
| the eerms). and this solution is used for
wetting the seed. The roots of the
| plants produced from this seed will
| bear the characteristic ''tubercles' OF
the nitrogen gathering bacteria.
The bacteria already sent out by the
| department are being heard from with
| gratifying results in many Instances.
| Where stand of clover has been hard
| to secure and where cowpeas, vetch
| and similar crops would not grow In
| oculation of the soil has solved the
: problem of getting a start with these
| crops, and fields soon become filled
| with the beneficent germs. When once
| the germs are secured in soil this SOIL
| can be used to continue the work In
other fields by scattering small guam
| titles of Ii with seed.
| Methods of Applying Water to Land.
| We are asked to associate irrigation
with the thought of our arid and semi
arid western lands. But 1T Is sug-
gestive fact for the other part of the
country that one Of the finest Irrigation
systems of the world Is found In hui
mid clImate-in Italy, In the valley OF
the Po.
A recent bulletin Of the department
of agriculture Is devoted to phase OF
irrigation that has been somewhat neg
lected heretofore-namely, the methods
of preparing land for irrigation and
applying the water. Naturally these
methods are mostly those practiced by
western farmers, but they have GER
tain value also for those farmers in
other regions who are interested in the
useful application of existing sources
Of water to their lands And that irri-
CATION has been made advantageous in
humid regions in this country to GER
tain extent Is shown by reports of the
New Jersey experiment station and by
the experiences of individual truckers
| fa different statas