The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-08-30

o1id 0-GAAIl kIk@ I'll
popular wheat of northern Texas. The
sonora, from Mexico, and the Austria
nan, from Australia, are god exam
pies of in~troductions into California
ana the southern Pocky
States, afterward be coming important
standrd varietieS. bat the greatest IN
Productions, which laye mado and
marks IN history, have been The Fife.
brought from eastern IT3rope through
scotland and Canada into the Moth
states Of the plains, ana Ihe "rine@n,
brought from the Criinea district into
the middle states Of the plans. The
combined output % these two types
now comprises nearly one-half the
entire wheat production of the coun-
try. These types have been the foun-
daIon OF an enormous milling bust
ness, and have added to the wheat pro
duction of the tow areas from forty
to sixty million more bushels than
would have resulted from the use of
other Wheats previously grown.
New introductions may increase
wheat production by increasing both
the acreage and the acre yield. \
good example is the Kharkov strain,
introduced by the department Of agri-
culture, which now furnishes an an
nual addition Of at least 10000, 900
bushels Of the present hard inter
wheat by extending the area to the
north and west and increasing the
oCi6 ylGiu. ana lno1l Jncre Is the
Durufa, apad and when the imemb
Durum, adapted to severe conditions
Ky penetrating localities 50 dry that
other wheat would not survive, and
increasing the acre yield from 90 to
so per cent, this type of wheat has
added about 100000 bushels an
Hually to the wheat production of tbe
great plains. Varieties have been
found which will give California a
wheat ranking well in commercial
quality with all others. and with bet
ter methods of cultivation 1t will be
easy to raise the production in Cati-
fornia to the old-time figures OF 10
100000 bushels by making Wheat
growing profitable.
improvements GnEy Begun.
Improved farm methods have had
much to do with the increased acre
yields, and yet the improvements have
only fairly begun. The speaker said
the size Of the farms viii continue
to be curtailed, and operations VIII
become more careful and intensive,
While the wheat acreage may thu, be
slightly lessened in som places, this
VIII be more than counterbalancei by
better results from each acre. Recent
interest in dry farming" is resulting
in q rapid diffusion of knowledge of
proper methods of cultivation for con
~servatiOn Of moisture, and this Will
further increase the yield in dry dis
tricts, and will spread he wheat area
into localities still drier.
Almost constantly large wheat acre
ages and accompanying low price
have been followed by diminished
acreages and accom- anying high
prices. The country IS now apparent
ly entering q period of considerable
wheat expansion and naturally prices
are falling. It is simply the old
question of supply and demand, and
the farmer can not be blamed il he
grows what Is profitable. Sin,iIar
temporary fluctuations Will be expert
enced in the future. The opinion is,
however. that a constant increase IN
production will continue. Some Of
the countries are now 1T Il stage OF
agricultural development that this
Ountry should not reach foc many
years.
The percentage of total land area
employed for wheat in other countries
runs from 1 per cent in Denmark &c
even 16.1 per cent in Italy. Spain en-
Dloys IS per cent: Hungary. 11.2 per
cent, and the United Kingdom, though
not naturally a wheat country. de-
votes 81 per cent. which is 6 pei
cent more than the proportion II
America.
Immense Corn Crop.
The United States has an immense
corn crop, which absorbs a largo area
that otherwise might go to wheat, yet
Roumania, which grows three times
as much corn a square mile as the
United States, deVotes 14-5 to wheat
Servia, also growing much corn, EN-
ploys rs per cent of its land fol
wheat; Russia. 80 per cent. and Ger
many 3.5, although both countries
give large attention to other grains
particularly oats, rye II barley. All
average Of percentages of land in
vCloo4 in thaSo countries is almost e 4
A similar percentage would give Amer
lea over 12O, 900, 900 acres, or 25,-
900, 900 more acres than given to corn,
and twice what Is given to wheat
Meanwhile, the estimate of twenty
bushels an acre for 1850 IS mGcn be
low the Weld in other countries, Ger
many producing 28.7 bushels to tho
acre: the United Kingdom 32.6. and
France 2O.4. All Of the wheat -g-o|-
ing countries show increases in acre