American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-03-18
Agricultural Department
From the Boise Capital News.
GROWING WHEAT RY IRRIGATION.
Hy w. y. Star of Kimberly. Ida.

You will understand this like any
other Information taken from any
one locality applies only to that par
ticular locality. nevertheless. there
are general rules In farming that
apply anywhere.
In the application of water we
find In all crops that less moisture
In required In the early stage of
plant life than later during the flow
ering and fruiting period.
And again we find that water APP
piled during a cool. cloudy period In
the early part Of the season usually
results injuriously rather than ben
officially.
We are told that irrigated land is
too valuable 10 make wheat growing
profitable. Dry farming is being
practiced quite successfully where
irrigation is not possible. and wheat
Is the one and only crop which the
dry farm can produce on a com
mercial crop, and he will be able to
produce wheat more cheaply than
under irrigation. This may be true
generally. but wheat is used 30 gen
orally and generously BY the wes-
tern farmer that he will not depend
entirely on some one else to raise
grain which he needs for home con-
sumption at least.
We will assume that the average
farmer who has 40 acres or more
will raise wheat according to his
facilities for growing that crop and
the amount needed on the farm. In
order to make wheat growing prof
table under irrigation, we can not
be satisfied with less than so bush
els per acre.
Can we raise so bushels per acre
on our sagebrush land before II
has been seeded to some le%guminous
crop? From the records at my dis
posal I will have to answer, that
while can cite you to cases where
wonderful yields have been secured.
generally speaking | am compelled
to answer no.
Thirty to thirty-five bushels has
been considered a good yield on
newly cleared land. In 1906 had
"A field of wheat on newly cleared
land-22h acres that threshed $40
bushels or SO bushels to the acre.
The treatment | gave this wheat
was as follows: The brush was
Wing tht IN u 80
spring. Ground plowed reasonably
deep-about 6 inches. Did some
leveling with a scraper, taking off
badger mounds and any bumps or
knobs which would interfere with
running the water. Next the ground
was narrowed then leveled with a
float. The wheat was Their drilled.
! intended to put rs pounds per acre
h,.t A.. wA.nA hAt-~ l.~.- -
len from being treated in "A forma-
lin solution. | did not get much
over "A bushel per acre. 1t came up
fairly well except the last five acres
plowed. which was a little dry. This
was seeded May l.. During the lat
ter part Of May and June | consid-
cradle moisture fell and kept wheat
growing and 1t stooled well and
water was not turned on this wheat
until June 10. 1t then covered the
ground and was near the stage when
II begins to boot. | irrigated this
field three times. The irrigations
were about two weeks apart. The
last time after the heads were well
formed and the grain in the dough.
The yield secured from this field
was above the average. My neigh
bors. who commenced %irrigating
early before the warm weather.
which commenced about June Is of
this year, did not get more than PC
bushels. Their grain did not stool
well and straw and heads were weak
This same year the Twin Falls
Land Il Water company offered a
prize for the best acre of wheat
along with other prizes. and Mr..
Weinhamer. of Murtaugh, won the
wheat prize with an acre which
threshed say bushels. Remember
this was 1906. before any alfalfa or
clover sod was available to rotate
with grain. believe this to be
the record up to hat date as far
as | know. This same year one
acres of oats made 100 bushels.
This prize acre of wheat was pro-
alced on grond that was an old
camp ground of "A large force en-
pioled on the Dry creek reservoir
dam. The brush was killed out on
the ground in 1903 aud much ma
nure and fertilizer was scattered
over thus particular piece of ground.
The oats were produced on ground
which was cleared the year before
aud waste water from another field
flooded this ground during the sum
mer OF 1905.
Some good yields of wheat have
been raised on land planted to pota-
toes the year before. A Mr.. Miller.
neal Kimberly. claims he raised rs
bushels per acre M Mr.. Rogers.
also near Kimberly. raised a crop
equally as good Wheat following
potatoes.
All this proves that something is
lacking in the raw land. as we
know that is nitrogen and humus.
Analysis of our soil shows an I'M
usually large per cent OF insoluble
matter. Several samples of soil
sent to be analyz od show iusoluble
matter running from Si.61 to 59.43.
And from the comments of Prof.
Jones. by whom these analyses were