East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-10-16

owing 10 the fact that Umatilla
county farmers are still making many
INQUIRIES concerning the merits OF
the Alaska wheat, the following press
bulletin issued by the University OF
Idaho agricultural station and COM
piled by r. L. Hyslop, the agronom-
ist. is published:
on account OF the numerous inqui-
ries coming into our station we find 1t
necessary 10 issue this press bulletin
concerning the so-called Alaska
wheat.
This wheat, when given ample field
space or conditions favorable to the
individual plant, has a branching
head borne on a rather tough straw
az height Of between four and five
feet. The mesh bears two and three
kernels. When grown under close
field conditions the head tends TO be
much smaller. branches less, and the
mesh bears from one to two kernels,
very seldom three. If heads grown
under these conditions alone were ex-
amined the impression would be OBJ
tanied that this wheat never bears
but two kernels to the mesh, mis-
take which some writer's appear to
have made.
The boards. while not numerous,
are dark in color and considerably
stronger than We find on our COM
mon wheats. but not so long or stiff
as those found on the Durums or
Nacaronl wheats. The normal ker-
mel is light In color, short and plump,
with an unusually open groove which
allows the kernel to be easily broken
in threshing. A cross section shows
the interior to be white and powdery
with comparatively little horny
starch. The shrunken kernels natur-
ally are harder
Taking everything into considera-
ton, I am led to conclude that this Is
the Egyptian or Miracle wheat
Poulard, and that it belongs to that
variety Of the Egyptian known as Ell
dorado, which is very closely relat-
ed to the Seven-headed variety
The Poulards are peculiarly adapted
TO dry regions. but never have beer
grown TO any extent in America. Tneil
Yields have never proved to be of sucf
a nature as to warrant their extensive
growth. even for stock food. And the
inferiority of the flour produced from
them has prevented their use to any
extent for the production Of bread.
The high yields claimed for tbs
wheat in this section of the country
in some cases 277 bushels per acre
are fabulous. one of the promoter
states that from one head Of tn
wheat he obtained seven pounds
from these seven pounds he produc
ed 1545 pounds, or a yield in roun
numbers of 220 fold. II is from thes
figures that the yields noted in tn
various papers, and in the circula
Of the Adams-Hobe Seed Grain com
pany. of Juliaetta. Idaho, are com
puted. To show the righteousness G
computing yields in this way. we de
termined in a couple of cases. IN
number OF grains produced from on
seed of Little Club grown under ia
vorable conditions in our breedln
plat. one plant produced l176, tn
ether 1900 kernels. Now, reasonin
as this seed company has done, If W
should plant one bushel of this Lit
Club to the acre, we would obtai
1176 or 1900 bushels. This would
a rather high yield, even for ldah
This year, the company had a
acres in the wheat grown on differe
farms in this locality. \ 30-acre ira
near Moscow, which was threshed
the middle of August went about
bushels per acre. Mr. Adams state