The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-06-13
GROW SMALL GRAINS
Rain in May and June Gives Crop
Good Start.
For That Reason Earlier Varieties
Have Better Chance to Produce
Larger YIeIds-Two-Rowed
BarIeys Better Adapted.


In the semi arid territory there Is
usually a rain fall of from four to
eight inches during the months Of May
and June, writes Manley Champlin In
the Farmer and Breeder. This rain
gives the crop good start, but ordi-
narily there is very little rain In July
and early August. There Is also more
or less danger of hail in the latter part
Of July. For this reason the earlier
varieties of grains have better chance
10 produce good crops. The late va
rieties spend their time and moisture
prodigally growing tall heavy
position when the midsummer drought
comes. They are in much the same
position that the boy was In spending
a summer afternoon In the old swim
min hole" and found when he was
about to dress and start for home that
some mean boy had hidden his clothes.
He couldn't go much farther. Neither
can the late varieties OF grain. They
get ready to produce bumper crop
then find themselves without moisture
and cannot fill, thus giving partial or
total failure The earliest varieties,
therefor, are usually the best for dry
farming, though some seasons may be
exceptions. They do not produce very
much straw. They begin heading out
In the last week Of June and are usu-
ally we'll flled before the drought gets
serious.
Besides earliness, some kinds OF
small grains possess drought resistant
qualities. They were developed In
regions of light rainfall and sudden
changes of temperature. and have be-
come accustomed to that kind OF a
climate. Some Of them even relish
this kind OF climate and will be smit
ten with rusts and blights and yield
little or nothing II grown in humid
sections. The varieties that are be-
coming the commercial standards In
this territory were introduced origin
ally from eastern Russia by the
United States department Of agricul-
ture. The climate of eastern Russia
Is similar to that of our territory and
the fluctuations of temperature are
| even more extreme. This fact has
made them readily adaptable to our
conditions.
Some of the varieties that have
proved especially valuable and are
now widely distributed are given be-
low. The settler, when buying seed.
should take every precaution to be
sure that 1t is pure and Of the variety
which he thinks he is buying. There
was q large amount of mixed and
falsely named seed sold to new set
tiers In this region last spring
Losses of this kind can be best
averted by buying OF a neighbor or OF
responsible seed Arm.
The two-rowed barleys seem to be
better adapted to this section than
the six-rowed, although one six-rowed
barley-the Odessa-has a good rec
ord at the South Dakota experiment
station. where It has been grown fol
several years. 1t has short straw and
ripens early. Kitzing and Hanna bar
legs are tw0-rowed varieties that have
good records and one Of the Hannas
Hanna "a. has become widely distrib
uted. Tho South Dakota experiment
station issued bulletin last summer
giving results and methods used II
growing barley, which can be secured
by those desiring to 60 into the barle,
problem.
The small yellow early cat know
usually a. Sixty-Day has made goOt
records wherever 1t has been grow,
and IL becoming well distributed.
|, yield Of so bushels or more per acr'
10 nothing uncommon for this variet.
in western South Dakota and Nebraa
| ka. It IL ready to cut by the middle o
, July; thus lodging the drought tina
usually begins shortly after the fourtl
: Of July. On a homestead 100 mile
west Of Pierre q yield of IS bushel
per acre has been obtained. This yiel
? was produced on typical soil Of tn
; regions heavy brown clay. Thi
, variety was introduced from tn
Kherson valley in Russia and ha
been tested and increased at the N,
braska and South Dakota stations III
!. til 1t is now widely distributed an
I easily obtainAble.
: Another very desirable oat variet
. for our purpose 10 the Swedish Selec
I This Is only medium early. but Ofte
makes large yields. especially II
receives q good shower during til
q heading period. The grain when we
r filled IL large. white. and plump an
II often overweights.
9