Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-08-14
The NOrthward Extension OF the
Winter Wheat Belt.

The NOrthWard Extension OF the
Winter Wheat Belt.
Careful observers have noticed that
the winter wheat belt is moving
northward; scarcely so fast, however,
as the spring wheat and flax belts
have been moving. While these two
belts overlap, that is, there are farms
in the same @neighborhood one of
which raises winter wheat and the
other spring wheat, yet between the
regions where winter wheat and
spring wheat are severally prominent
there is usually wide gap.
Spring wheat was formerly grown
all over Indiana, Illinois, Iowa. Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Nebraska. 1t is
scarcely known now in the southern
part of Illinois, Indiana, or Iowa, and
it's growth is very rare in Kansas and
Nebraska After farmers had raised
spring wheat until the soil refused tC
grow it. they jumped to the cOnclu-
sion that the elements of fertility
which go to produce paying crop
of wheat had been exhausted, and
hence there was no use sowing it any
more. In the course of years, how
ever, some ventureSome fellow puts In
a crop of winter wheat, and finds tC
his surprise that his farm grows more
winter wheat than it ever did spring
wheat. His neighbors follow his ex-
ample, and if bad winters follow and
their wheat is failure, generally
through lack of knowing how to culti-
vate it, they come to the conclusion
that the land will not grow winter
wheat, either, and it is some years
before they can be again induced to
try it.
Southern Iowa is now beginning to
grow a considerable quantity of win
ter wheat, as are also some neighbor-
hoods in Illinois, but the farmers are
exceedingly slow about taking it up.
In southern Iowa winter wheat has
been the best paying crop for the last
two or three years, without any ex-
ception. 1t IS so this year except on
bottom lands where it has been
drowned out, or rather, fired or
scalded by the extremely wet weather.
We have been encouraging the
growth of winter wheat in this Sec
tion and in all similar ATTITUDES for
the last ten or fifteen years, and we
have not changed our opinion in the
slightest. 1t is just as easy to grow
thirty bushels of winter wheat in
southern Iowa as it is to grow fifty
bushels of corn, and it can be done at
less expense in the way of labor, pro-
vided the farmer has to hire his
husking done.
One of the reasons why winter
wheat has not been grown more ex-
tensively is because of the lack of
partition fences on so many farms.
Where there are no partition fences,
and where part of the land is in win
ter wheat and part in cornstalks, the
wheat is liable to be pastured down
by the stock in the late fall and hence
60 through the winter in bad condi-
tion. Another reason why winter
wheat has not been extensively
grown is because farmers until in the
last year or two have not supplied
themselves with grain drills, and
many farmers yet lack this efficient
tool.
Where the land is naturally or arti-
fically we'll drained, where it is fenced
off in separate fields, or where the
farmer is willing to go to the trouble
of putting up a temporary fence, we
have no hesitation in advising him to
grow winter wheat this next year.
There are certain conditions, how
ever, which must be complied with.
He must SOW only Turkey Red or
some closely related variety. 1t is
not worth his while to SOW the soft
winter wheats which give the largest
yields in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
southern Missouri, and Kansas. The
wheat that will thrive in latitude 40
is not likely to thrive in latitude 1850
to 45. Turkey Red, which frequently
passes under the name Of Malakotf
and Defiance, and kindred varieties
such as the Buda Pesth, are about
the only sort that will stand the try
ing conditions of the latitude of Iowa.
Then this wheat must be drilled in
and not sown broadcast. We have
known good crops that were sown
but the conditions were
very favorable and the growers re-
ceived good deal more than they
were entitled to or would receive in
an ordinary year. Why drill? Be-
cause it requires less seed; because it
puts the seed in at an even depth:
because it puts it in deep enough, say
two to two and a half inches because
the wheat being down in the drill
furrow is not liable to be blown out;
because it stands up better; because
it has better aeration and hence there
is less danger from rust.
Again. this wheat must be SOwn in