The Ordway new era., 1913-09-26
RAISING SMALL GRAINS
early Varieties Have Best
Chance to Produce Crops.
Species Grown In Eastern Russia
Readily Adapted to semi.Arid
Condition In Western Part
Of the United States.
BY MANLEY cHAMPL1N.3

BY MANLEY cHAMPLIN)
In the semiarid territory there Is
Usually a rainfall Of from four to
eight inches during the months OF
May and June. This rain gives the
crop a good start, but ordinarily 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 vari-
cites of grains have better chance to-
produce good crops. The late varie-
ties spend their time and moisture
prodigally in growing tall heavy
straw and find themselves In a seri-
GUS position when the midsummer
drought comes. They get ready to
produce a bumper crop then find
themselves without moisture and can
not fill. thus giving partial or total
failure. The earliest varieties. there
fore. 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 well filled before the drought gets
serious.
Besides earliness, some kinds of
small grains possess drought resist
ant 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 a large amount of mixed and
falsely named seed sold to new set
lers In this region last spring.
Losses of this kind can be best avert
ed by buying OF neighbor or of a re-
sponsible firm.
The two-rowed barleys seem to be
better adapted to this section than
the six-rowed. although one six-rowed
barley-the Odessa-has good rec.
ord at the South Dakota experiment
station. where 1t has been grown for
several years. 1t has short straw and
ripens early. Kitzlng and Hanna bar
leys are two-rowed varieties that have
good records and one of the Hannas.
Hanna "a. has become widely distrib-
uted. The South Dakota experiment
station issued a bulletin last summer
giving results and methods used In
growing barley, which can be secured
| by those desiring to go into the barley
problem.
The small yellow early oat known
usually as Sixty-Day has made good
and is becoming we'll distributed. A
| yield of so bushels or more per acre
is nothing uncommon for this variety
| in western South Dakota and Ne
braska. 1t is ready to cut by the mid
die OF July. thus lodging the drouth
that usually begins shortly after the
4th of July. On a homestead 100
! miles west of Pierre a yield of 65 bush
| els per acre has been obtained. This
| yield was produced on typical soil of
the region-a heavy brown clay. This
| variety was introduced from the
Kherson valley in Russia and has
been tested and increased at the Ne
| braska and South Dakota stations un-
| til 1t is now widely distributed and
easily obtainable.
Another very desirable oat variety
| for our purpose is the Swedish Select.
This is only medium early. but often
makes large yields. especially If 1t
receive a good shower during the
heading season. The grain when well
| filled is large. white. and plump and
often overweighs.