The Greeley tribune., 1910-09-08
Seeding Wheat on Dry Land

The time Of seeding dry wheat
depends much upon the coming of
the rainy season and the distribu-
ton of the snow, or rainfall.
Whether to seed in the spring or
fall must BE- determined after a
study of the local conditions, but
geneally the early fall is pre-
ferable. Still under a condition
where the principal rainfall occurs
in mid-summor it may not be prac-
ticable to seed in the fall. Ii there
is not Sufficient moisture at all
times between the seeding and the
rainy season TO carry the crop
properly spring seeding must be
substituted It may even be nee
essary to seed rather late in the
spring on occasion when the early
spring is usually dry.
But OF land where there is
sufficient moisture to properly
carry the crop along or under a
condition where a large portion OF
the total Precipitation occurs in
the fall, winter and early spring,
fall seeding is always preferable
Seeding. Of course, must always
be donesat a time when the crol
will make the best use of the
availables moisture. Fall seeding
assists materially in the retention
of the soil in place about the plant
roots because there is a consider
able growth above the ground be
fore the usual windy season sets in
Herein lies the great advantage
of fall seeding.
The quantity of seed that shoule
be Gown to the acre diminishe:
with the decrease in the amount
of soil moisture available to the
crop. II, for example five peck:
or seventy-five pounds OF whea
are required for seeding in the hu
mid sections from one and ore
half TO three pecks o. from twenty
to forty-five pounds varying witt
the precipitations, etc, are usual
ly sufficient in the semi-arid belt.
The wide difference in the
amount of dry farming sections i:
explanable in the fact that II
necessitates approximately a eiver
bushei TO the acre Therefore il
| twice as many seed are sown as
there is sufficient moisture avail
able in the soil to bring the crol
to maturity all of the seed will
natures and there it will stop be
cause at that critical moment al
of the moisture is exhausted. II
only one-half the seed is sown We
may assume that up to the same
date only one-half of the total soil
moisture is consumed, thus leaV-
ing the other half with which the
crop can come to maturity. IT some
what too small an amount of seed
is sown the stooling will be more
vigorous and the root development
correspondingly more expansive so
that within certain units the crop
will adjust itself to the moisture
conditions.
should q field of gain start off
well after seeding. grow luNuriantly
for some weeks and then wither
and die. as We have seen in hun
dreds of cases this season, do not
be too hasty in placing the diff
Guilty There may be single or a
combination or reasons A suffi-
cient storage reservoir may not
have been formed. the moisture
stored may not have been properly
conserved before seeding; the after
cultivation may have been careless
ly done or neglected altogether or
possibly far too much seed may have
been sown for the q antity of mois-
ture' available. Notwithstanding the
fine stands of wheat this year. One
man in Larimer county reports II
yield OF fifty-one bushels to the acre
which is better than most of the ir-
rigated places can show so there
must be something in Il. There are
all kinds of conditions, however. in