East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-08-04

AAS1l4NGlO YIN aug 4.-NIlN lHe
exception of Russia. the yields OF su-
gar beets per acre, in the United
States is lower than in any other
/ beet producing country The aver
/ age in America is l0.17 tons, and in
; Germany. 1854 The cost of labor
/ In this country and other factors of
( similar nature unquestionably ac-
( count for some Of this difference,
1 but, on the other hand, it is NJ un-
common thing to find the widest
range in the yield Of crops grown un-
der conditions that appear to be al
most Identical. One farmer, for ex-
ample. may take 20 tons of beets per
acre to the factory. while his heigh-
Dor can only haul or s.
A recent investigation by the Unit
ed States department Of agriculture
resulted in the conclusion that the
differences were frequntly due to un-
suspected deficiencies in the stand It
wae found that without actually
counting them 1t was impossible to-
estimate with any degree Of accur-
acy the number of plants per acre
and that, in consequence this num-
Der was frequently much smaller
than the farmer had believed or in-l
tended. The loss may occur before
thinning, during the process of thin
ming and blocking, and during culti-
vation and harvesting For loss in
the termination stand the causes
may be found in poor preparation of
the seed, imperfect operation Of seed
drills, late frosts, damping off, or
such pests as cutworms or wire
worms
Improper thinning is, however,
the greatest single source Of loss. In
this country the work is usually done
without efficient supervision and |
there is no incentive to the laborers
to be careful and accurate. The usu-
al result is that the space LETT be-
tween the plants is greater than the
farmer intended it to be. After the
plants attain a moderate growth this
fact is not perceptible to the ordinary
observer 1t is revealed, however. in
a yield which is on the average 25 /
per cent less than it would have
been had the thinning been proper
ly done. A somewhat smaller loss
frequently occurs a little later when
some plants are destroyed by care
lessness in the use of the cultiyatcr.
IIession Fly Dangerous Pest
The loss to the wheat crop this
year from the Hessian fly has un-
doubtedly been severe in many sec
tions The habits of this destructive
pest are well known and they indi-
cate that unless precautions are ta'
ken now this loss will be repeated
next year There are two genera
tions of the fly each year-one in the
fall and one in the following spring,
the second generation being off
spring of the former To get ria Of
the pest next year, therefor, the fJyI
should be destroyed this fall. This
can be done by the simple process of
starving out the fly The following
rules have been drawn up by agricul-
tural authorities in Oklahoma and
are applicable to all sections OF the.
country
l. Burn. where possible and safe.
all stubble and ruined wheat,
? Disk all stubble and ruined
wheat Immediately after harvest
where burning is impracticable.
3, Plow under deeply all stubble
and ruined wheat fields before Au-I
gust Is, harrow the ground. and roll
if necessary.
4, Harrow, disk pasture or 9TH
erwise effectually destroy all volun.
teer wheat.
D. As a measure preparatory to
sowing plow as early and deeply as
existing conditions will permit; disk.
harrow and roll until thoroughly
pulverized. compact seed bed is oh, !
tanned
6. Do not sow wheat until after
fly-free date.
I. Rotate your crops if possible.
The date when ii is safe to sow
wheat varies, of course, with the To-
cality. and the farmer who is really
anxious to save his next years wheat
crop from the Hessian fly should as
certain this date from his State Agri-
cultural college. or from the county
demonstration agent or by inquiry
from the department of agriculture
at Washington. If he neglects this
pecaution he not only runs the risk
of serious loss himself, but may in
iure his neiShbors as well. 1t should
also be borne in mind that the most
effective methods of fighting the
Hessian fly are also the best meth
ods for producing the Yields OF
wheat The danger in late sowing
that the growth of the plants may
not become sufficiently advanced to
stand the winter is dealt with in Cir
cular 81 of the department of agricul-
ture "The Hessian Fly situation in
1916" This may be obtained from
the department OF agriculture.
tACAttg