The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1910-07-28
CROPS FOR DRY FARMING.
FaII-sown Grains Generally Best for
This Purpose.

ah-SoWh Grams oeneraily Best TOT
This Purpose.
Wheat is the great money-making
crop of large part of the semi-arid
West. 1t is not particularly drouth-
crop, although certain varie-
ties appear to succeed better than
others in the dry districts. The hard
Red Turkey or Russian wheat is the
type or variety which has proven hard
lest and most productive throughout
the Western part of the winter wheat
belt. In the spring wheat states the
standard sorts grown are Fife and
Bluestem, which are also hard wheats.
The Durum, or Macaroni wheat, is
rapidly coming into use in the North
western states, and it appears to be
harder and more productive than the
ordinary spring wheats. This wheat
was introduced from Russia, where it
has long been grown in climate and
uiiNch SOhui1iOhS oiiuiidI W tnOcc VI Tic
western part of the Northwest states.
1t is decidedly "dry land farming"
crop, and it is the hope of those inte-
rested in introducing this wheat that
it may prove successful in districts
where the rainfall is not sufficient or
is too uncertain to grow the common
wheat, and thus extend profitable
wheat growing still farther west and
into the semi-arid lands of the Noun
tain states.
AT present, with the varieties grown,
the success of the wheat crop in the
West is more largely due to the fact
that the crop grows during part of
the year when drouth is least apt to
prevail than to the drouth-resistant
character of the crop. But wheat is a
deep feeder and rapid grower. The
plant draws its food and moisture from
large volume of soil and is able to
Withstand considerable unfavorable
weather conditions; yet the crop is
often materially injured and the yield
decreased by drouth during almost any
period of its growth. By hot winds
and unfavorable weather conditions a
promising crop may be destroyed in a
few days.
Wheat cannot stop growing and re-
main dormant during an unfavorable
period of growth, as does kafir corn or
sorghum. The grain must finish its
growth and mature in about a certain
period, whatever the conditions for
growth may be.
j Spring wheat is not we'll adapted for
growing in Kansas, but with sufficient
moisture to start it in the fall, and
with the usual spring rains, winter
wheat is profitable crop, even in the
western counties of the state, where
the annual rain fall does not exceed
fifteen to twenty inches.
+ However, the methods of growing
; the crop are crude. Often the West
ern farmer plants so many acres tina
. he is unable to farm the land well
and the result is a poor crop, If the
season is at all unfavorable.
Some farmers, however, are adopt
: ing better methods. Enough goo
!; farming has been done to prove that i
pays to cultivate and till the land well
Mr.. H. w. Campbell reported remark
2 able results from practice of his sys
tenn of culture on the Pomeroy mode
\ farm, in Graham county, Kansas
For sereval years this farm was mad
to produce twice as much wheat pc
acre as the average crop in the SUI
:, rounding country, with on other treat
!. ment of the soil except thorough til
age and cultivation.
At the Fort Hays Branch experimer
= station, in Ellis county, enough hs
> been accomplished, in the ten season
since that station was established,
demonstrate that in the semi-ari
West good farming pays as well {
even better than it does in the riC
farming states of the Mississippi va
7 ley.
Il Emmer.
Emmer has proved to be especial
hardy and drouth-resistant, and in Il
Northwestern states this grain HI
given greater yields per acre than ba
\ ley or oats. However, at the Flo
q HAYS station, in Western Kansas, er
4 mer has not proved as hardy and pr
ductive as barley and oats. AS fe'
Y emmer will hardly take the place
barley and oats, but it may be groui
and fed in combination with the
: grains or with corn. Wherever bari
or oats produce well emmer is not
especially profitable crop to grow. b
III in those sections of the West in viii
4 the grains mentioned cannot be 81
II cessfully grown, emmer may prove
II be profitable crop.
II Barley.
II Barley is successfully grown in Ks
II sas farther west than any other spri
II grain. In fact, barley is produced
il larger quantities in the western col
- ties of Kansas than in the central q
eastern counties. The counties p
ducing the largest number of bush
in 1900 were as follows: Pawn
Barton, Ness, Rush, Thomas, Pr
y and Hodgman. Each of these count
" produced over $50, 900 bushels of b
ley in the year mentioned.
Winter Rye.
, Another crop that grows succs
au fully in western Kansas is winter r
This crop, however, is not grown
'on extensively as barley, and is apr
. emily less profitable crop to g
than wheat.--Dry Farming Bulletin
Arrests Follow Crash.
Birmingham, Ala.-The first cri