The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-09-17
new kind OF WHEAT
SOUTH DAKOTA FARMER TELLS
OF HIS CROP.
Thirty Two Acres Produce 966 Bush
els of Grain That Look Like Winter
But Is Hard as spring--Wheat That
May Supersede Durum.

Minneapolis, Sept. ~. c. Baugh-
man, the Sphinx county farmer, who
astonished South Dakota and drew the
attention of the agricultural north
west upon himself by taking 966 bush
els of spring wheat from thirty-two
acres, is I'm the city. Mr. Baughman
was in conference late yesterday with
several leading grain men and mlllers
to whom he showed samples of what
he believes to be a new and powerful
spring wheat destined to work great
benefit for the northwest.
The Baughman farm comprises 1.04O
acres and lies one and one-half miles
northeast of Redheld. There Is moth
ing unusual about the farm. Mr..
Baughman has done general farming
for a number of years and has raised
every thing the ordinary farmer pro-
duces. Last year he determined to
change his wheat and try for better
results.
Gets Iowa Seed.
Otto Johnson has a farm adjoining
the Baughman land. Mr. johnson has
a brother who is an Iowa farmer, To-
Gated not far from Des Moines. The
Iowa man had some wheat that he
thought well of for seed. A quantity
was procured IL was peculiar I'm ap-
pearance, not like a spring wheat, yet
Enthusiastically of the hard quality of
spring, looking somewhat like winter
wheat, and suggesting, as one Mime
apolis grain buyer said who saw the
sample, "a winter wheat made over
into spring"
Several farmers experimental with
this wheat, but generally ii was mixed
with other varieties or sown without
particular attention. Mr.. Baughman
selected his carefully and sowed it on
March q.
Natures Early.
The first popularity noticed was the
early maturity. Long before other
wheat was heading this variety was
well headed out, and on July 25 II was
cut. 1t showed astounding yields, GO
ing slightly more than thirty bushels
to the acre. Mr. Baughman cleaned
up $3.50 an acre after deducting
threshing and every possible item OF
expense. In yield 1t even exceeded
many fields iof ntacaroni wheat In
South Dakota
Mr.. Baughman is investigating to
IiIlu, IL possible, Ine OTlBlH OF Ine
wheat. So far as he knows IL Is
nothing that either the Minnesota ex-
pertinent at st. Anthony Park, or the
Iowa experiment station has introduce
ed, although 1t may prove to have
originated in one of these schools.
How Wheat Yields.
If the wheat will give results such
as Mr.. Baughman realized 1t will be a
boon to the northwest. North Dako-
tas average yield in 1905, according
to government figures, was fourteen
bushels an acre. Minnesota averaged
1873 and South Dakota 1871. Even IN
the virgin Canadian west, though
phenomenal yields are sometimes
heard of, spring wheat does not go
more than eighteen to twenty bushels
for best results. A wheat that would
yield more than eighteen to twenty
bushels in Minnesota or the Dakotas
would increase production to such an
extent as to revolutionize wheat rails
| ing, and ii would bear an important
way upon increasing the production
of durum or macaroni wheat, operat-
ing to check the spread of that var
iety, as macaroni is a less desirable
wheat in nearly every way, but appeals
to many farmers because 1t yields
heavier than spring wheat.