The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-09-12
WINTER WHEAT IN SOUTH DA.
kOTA

exceed that OF spring wheat. Expert
ments are in progress at the various
substations to learn just how much
difference there will be between the
best varieties OF winter wheat and the
best varieties of spring wreat In acre
Weld when compared under similar
conditions.
Another reason why the growing OF
winter wheat deserves more consider
alton Is that it is the ideal dry farm
crop. the one which has made dry
farming a financial success in nearly
all sections where II Is a success, in
Guiding Utah and the region known as
the Inland Empire. comprising eastern
Washington and Oregon and southern
Idaho.
A third reason is that it gives a
chance for a division Of labor for all
the planting that is completed in the
fall will be out Of the way during the
spring rush and the harvest will be
completed ahead of the earliest spring
grain.
1t will therefore be readily under
stood why the South Dakota expert
ment station and the United States
Department of Agriculture in their ex-
perimental work in this state regard
the solving Of winter wheat problems
of such great importance.
The progress already made has
indicated the best variety to grow,
the probable best time to SOW, the
folly of trying to grow winter wheat
on bare fall blowing and the probable
best rate of seeding. In a constructive
way, considerable progress has also
been made in locating a strain Of sup
erior hardness. If this strain contin-
ues to prove hardy it will be available
for limited distribution in a few years
and it's Introduction will make it
tasitr to succeed with winter wheat
on fall blowing.
While there is still much to do, the
following propositions are fairly well
proved:
The best variety at present for
South Dakota conditions is that popu-
larly known as Turkey Red. This var
iety contains several different strains
which are being separated out and
some of which promise to be better
than the original bulk variety.
The best rate of seeding is believed
to be three pecks per acre, increasing
to four in tn east and decreasing to
two in the drier central portion.
The best time of seeding in an aver
age of years will probably be from
September 1st to 18th although each
individual season varies so much that
it may never be possible to state
definitely that this or any other date
Is best.
The safest plan for seeding winter
wheat is to use a one horse drill and
sow between the corn rows without
any further preparation than the cul-
tivation that the corn should have re-
ceived.
While stubbling in is better than
fall blowing, it is poor farm practice
and since the main object Of sowing
| winter wheat is to increase the yield
per acre there can be little object in
sowing the wheat in such a way that
a low yield is assured from the start.
If wheat is sown on summer fallow
as is done in the great dry farming
areas it is well to leave the surface
as rough as possible to prevent blow
ing. More killing is due to blowing
than any other cause as the sitting
soil PARTICLES injure the crowns of the
wheat plants. 1t will be noted by any
one observing fields Of winter wheat
in the spring that in places where the
drill accidentally ran deep the wheat
would be alive while the greater por
ton of the field had winter killed
This gives rise to the idea that a drill
may be constructed to list in the win
ter wheat in shallow trenches and thus
insure better protection for the whea'
crowns than by the ordinary methot
of sowing. Good protection woult
also be afforded by a top dressing o
straw or n which would at tn,
same time add fertility to the soil.
On the whole, more winter whea
should be grown in South Dakota be
cause it will increase the averag'
acre yield and afford a division o
labor while it's earliness makes it
safer crop for the dry farm thai
spring wheat. But that which is sow
should be sown right and this mean
that protection be provided in som
form or another, the best being tn
standing stalks Of corn.