The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-26
Wheat Special Arrived in City
Yesterday and Its Experts
Tell Farmers of Scientific
Methods.
HOW TO ExTERMINATE
THE PESTS IS SHOWN
Methods of Fighting "Stinky"
Smut, Hessian Fly and Joint
Worm Interested the Local
Farmers.

The Indiana wheat special In
charge of Professor G. l. Christie and
other faculty members Of Purdue uni
versity. four days out on a hfteen day
trip over the Pennsylvania lines in
diana. stopped at the local Pennsyl.
vania depot last evening and was
greeted by about hundred farmers
Of this community to whom a half
hour lecture on wheat production was
given.
Indiana ranks high In the United
States as q wheat producing state and
yet its average yield Is but 1873 bush
els to the acre while in experiments
conducted In almost every county in
the state It has been found that the
yield per acre can easily be doubled
by application Of more modern meth
DDS Of farming.
Elimination Of "stinky" smut, the
Hessian ny, the joint worm. and use
Of heavier seed wheat, application of
fertiliser in large quantities and crop
rotation are the campaign points on
this trip. :.
Smut Injuries Wheat.
The "stinky" smut is general over
the state and not only ruins the sales
value Of wheat to millers but also.
when seed wheat 10 affected. q large
per cent OF the grains are made unfer.
tile. The experiment station has
found that BY sprinkling the SEED with
. solution Of one pint Of formalin and
Afty salons Of water and allowing
this solution to soak into the seed
that the smut IL killed completely.
The wheat 10 placed on q clean floor
and mixed much the same as con-
crete, the solution being sprinkled on
the seed a. the shovelers throw 1t to
one side. The best tests Of this solu.
ton has reduced the smut down to
one sixth Of one percent Untreated
wheat 10 often affected to the extent
OF twenty per cent.
Another pest which practically has
driven formers In some communities
out Of the wheat business 10 the Hes
sian hy. An easy method to overcome
this pest 10 to plant the seed in the
last two weeks In September, ~ the
fly lays it, eggs before September TO-
II IL necessary for farmers to coop
crate In this plan II the assaults Of
the hy are to be overcome.
Fighting Joint Worm.
In order to defeat the Joint worm It
10 again necessary for community Co
operation. Stubbles and straw stacks
must be burned. The joint worm at
tacks the growing wheat stalk about
eight inches from the ground and
weakens the joint 20 that the stalk
falls over. making 1t often impossible
to harvest the crop.
Great Britain has the largest aver
age yield Of wheat to the acre with
32.6 bushels with Germany next. 2s.4.
United States. 1879. and Indiana 1873.
Several years ago Great Britain did
not produce any more wheat to the
acre than Indiana now does. Better
cultivation and fertilizer brought the
present results.
Wheat costs on an average 1897 an
acre In Indiana. The average yield
In the state is 1873 bushels. The pre-
vailing market price IL q dollar a
bushel and 1t is easily seen that un-
less . better yield 10 obtained farm
ers can not make money on wheat.
Three Essential Points.
The Purdue faculty members In
their lectures are endeavoring to
drive In three essential points: First
cleaner and heavier seed: second. the
variety Of seed wheat, and third. crop
rotation.
The station IL advocating the use OF
the tanning mill in order to secure
the heavier seed. In experiments 1t
has been found that greater fertility
10 had in the heavier seed and also
that the yield has increased an aver
age Of IL bushels In favor Of this
kind Of seed. Such seed also produces
wheat which grades better and has q
greater value with the miilers.
The station has made experiments
with the different varieties Of seed
wheat. Its report on the average
yield to the acre 10 a. follows:
Rudy. 80 bushels: Pearls Prolific,
?6.7: Michigan Amber. 26.5: Farmers'
Friend. 26.5: Egyptian Amber. 26.2:
and Abundance. 26: average "a bush
els. In many communities in the
state different varieties have been
sown BY the farmers. The varities
are now impure ~ the strains have
been crossed.
Glover 10 An Aid.
Clover increases the wheat yield a.
Il fertilises the soil By restoring nitro
gen. II 10 . splendid leGume. Other
legumes are good. although some are
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