The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-26
TELLS ABOUT FALL
WHEAT and RYE
PROFESSOR SHEPHERD GIVES
SOME INTERESTING INFoRMA-
TON ABOUT THESE CROPS
THAT WILL BE or INTEREST
TO MANY FARMERS.

Prof. J. Fl. shepperd Of the "A. c..
has written the following letter in
response to quiries from a farmer in
the western part OF the state.
Fall wheat and fall rye distribute
the work more evenly at seeding
time at harvest time. and in thresh-
Ing. The winter wheat and winter
rye can be thresned before the spring
grain can be cut. Winter grain land
Is then ready to pillow any time that
can be spared for It very early in the
season which helps the chance for q
crop the following year. They keep
wild oats and kinghead down and in
this way clean up the land consider
ably. Where they are at home and
do well. the yields of winter wheat
and rye are much heavier than those
of spring wheat and spring rye. Their
season for filling Is earlier than the
dry weather and rusting periods usu-
ally occur.
The Turkey Red winter wheat
which has been grown in the north
west for several years lis the best seed
that / have been able to find. 1t Is a
hard winter wheat in grade, and with
stands winter conditions here better
than any other sort that have tested.
No. $50 winter rye bred up by this
station is the hardest and best yield
ing rye that I have found
Winter wheat must have a snow
covering during the winter to sur
vive.
Where the rainfall is sufficient to
start the wheat in stubble land 1t has
brought the largest portion OF the
winter wheat through without winter
killing of any plan that I have OBJ
served. Stubble land should be mel
low, rich and reasonably clean, how
ever, to be sown to winter wheat.
1t may be disced very lightly with
the disc set almost straight, but even
this much OF breaking down of the
stubble will cause the winter wheat
to kill out under the most severe con-
ditions.
1t may be sown In corn fields be-
tween rows by using one-horse drill.
If the corn stalks are left standing 1t
will almost always live through the
winter in any part Of the state. Where
the corn is cut and the stubble left
short, however. it frequently kills out.
Sowing barley with winter wheat
as a means of protecting it for winter
has proven unsuccessful.
Winter rye has usually survived
without the protection from stubble
or other growth.
The latter part Of August or in the
east part of the state September i is
generally found to be the best time
to sow winter wheat and winter rye.
In the drier districts earlier seeding
seems to be an advantage, although
our results are not uniform. At the
WilIiston and Edgeley sub-stations
seeding as early as the middle Of Aug
ust seems to be very satisfactory,
while at Dickinson early seeding did
not do as well as that sown the first
part OF September.
In dry seasons winter grain has a
much more difficult time getting
through the winter than when rain,
falls are frequent during the fall.
This year the demonstration farms
are somewhat divided In the results
that they obtained from winter wheat.
Eight farms gave good results from
winter wheat seeding, while six prov
ed failures. The winter wheat killed
out on the fallowed land In all of the
fourteen cases. Supt. Porter informs
me. while that sown in stubble win
tered the best In every case.
Winter rye succeeded on all OF these
farms without protection.
Sow at the rate of five pecks per
acre or a little heavier If conditions
are against Its growing promptly.
Put it in at depth Of two and half
to three inches or even somewhat
deeper IL that is necessary to get II
into moist ground.
The demonstration farms have pro-
duced some seed OF $3.50 winter rye,
which can be secured by writing to
the agricultural college.
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