Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-09-13
DIRECTIONS FOR WIN
TER WHEAT RAISING
AGRONOMIST OF SOUTH DAKOTA EX-
PERTINENT STATION TELLS HOW IT
SHOULD Be S0XN.

Other things being equal, the
production of winter wheat per
acre will exceed that of spring
wheat. Experiments are in pro-
gress at the various substations to
learn just how much difference
there will be between the best va
rites of winter wheat and the best
varities of spring wheat in acre
yield when compared under SINH
lar conditions.
Another reason why the grow
ing of winter wheat deserves more
consideration is that it is the ideal
dry farm crop, the one which has
made dry farming financial sue
cess in nearly all sections where it
is success, including Utah and
the region known as the Inland
Empire, comprising eastern Wash
ington and Oregon and southern
Idaho.
A third reason is that it gives a
chance for a division of labor for
all planting that is completed in
the fall will be out Of the way dur
ing the spring rush and the harvest
will be completed ahead of the
earliest spring grain.
1t will be therefore readily I'M
derstood why the South Dakota
experiment station and the United
States department of agriculture
in their experimental work in this
state regard the solving of winter
wheat problems OF such great i'm
portance.
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.
While there is still much to do,
the following propositions are fair
ly we'll proved:
The best variety at present for
South Dakota conditions is that
popularity known as Turkey Red.
This variety contains several diff
ferent strains which are being sep
arated out and some of which
promise to be be better than the
original bulk variety.
The best rate of seeding is be-
lieved to be three pecks per acre,
increasing to four in the east and
decreasing to two in the drier cent
raj portions.
The best time of seeding in an
average of years will probably be
from September Ist to 18th al
though each individual season
varies so much that 1t may never
be possible to state definitely that
this or any other date is best.
The safest plan for seeding whit
er wheat is to use one horse drill
and sow between the corn rows
without any further preparation
than the cultivation that the corn
should have received.
While Stumbling in is better than
fall blowing. it is poor farm prac
tice, and since the main object of
sowing winter wheat is to increase
tue yield per acre there can be
little object in sowing the wheat in
such way that a low yield is as
sured from the start.
If wheat is sown on summer fall
low as is done in the great dry
farming areas it is we'll to leave
the surface as rough as possible to
prevent blowing. More killing is
due to blowing than to any other
cause as the sitting soil particles
injure the crowns of the wheat
plants.
On the whole. more winter wheat
should be grown in South Dakota
because it will increase the average
acre yield and afford a division of
labor while its earliness makes it a
safer crop for the dry farm than
spring wheat. But that which is
sown should be sown right and
this means that protection be pro-
vided in some form or another, the
best being the standing stalks Of
J corn.