The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-03-17
MARQUIS WHEAT FOB SPklN0
SOWING.
CBv Prof. Thos. Shaw


This wheat has done so very well In
the Pacific northwest since It's intro
duction that the farmers in those areas
should give much heed TO the claims
made for it. 1t first came prominently
into public notice at the Dry Farming
congress held at Lethbridge. Alta,
Canada. in 1912 IL eXcelled all other
varieties shown, both in yield and in
quality. and was awarded the highest
.honOrs at the exhibit held in connect
ion with the congress. Since that time
it has been grown in various areas in
the northwestern states and the results
obtained have generally been Of graft
fying character.
IL has been grown under the direc-
ton of the writer in various places
since that time and some of the results
obtained should prove interesting. The
work was conducted more directly un-
der the supervision Of my assistant,
Mr.. T. A. Wilson. Ii was grown at
Elgin, y. D.. in 1913. 1914 and in 1915,
and also in some other places. In 1913
the yield on the Elgin demonstration
farm was l9 bushels while the average
g bushels. In 1914 the yield at Elgin
was 80 bushels against Il of Blue Stem
grown under similar conditions. All
the Marquis grown on the experiment
farm at Elgin in 1914 was sown on
other station farms in 1915 or sold for
cad 70 in nf na-
kota. In 1915 at Elgin the yield was
Sc bushels against 90 of Blue Stem. At
Halliday and Golden Valley the yields
were A and IS bushels, respectively,
from the Marquis. The nineteen farm
ers near Elgin obtained an average of
nineteen bushels in 1915. against an
average OF - and - of Blue Stem and
Red Fife, respectively. The great value
| OF this wheat, viewed from the stand
point of yield is not TO be questioned.
Good reports are also received re-
garding its behaviour in Montana and
places further west, but those areas
are not so distinctively in the spring
wheat belt. hence the growth of Mar
! Quis is not so important relatively, as
in western DAKOTA Where We tried il
| in central Oregon, the results were
Encouraging
This wheat is characterized by sew
eral excellent properties. among which
are the following: o. 1t natures
from TO 10 days earlier than other
| wheat. This tends to protect it from
the adverse influences of injury from
hot winds and drought. (2) 1t does not
| shatter nearly so readily as Red Fife
during the harvesting process. This is
true OF 1t even when over-ripe 60 The
straw is shorter and sitter than that
OF Blue Stem. hence in dry year il
suffers les from drought and in a wet
year it suffers less from lodging. In
one of our experiments near Prineville
In central Oregon in 1913, the yield
was 10 bushels per acre against four
bushels Of the variety usually grown
there. though producing under the
same conditions. The summer that
year was abnormally dry at Prineville.
"a IL does not rust nearly so readily
as Blue Stem. This was shown very
clearly in 1915 in southwestern Dakota
in crops grown under similar condi-
tons. t5) 1t is fully equal to If not
superior TO the Blue Stem and Red
Fife in its milling properties.
In the dry areas the rate Of seeding
should be about pecks to the acre,
and it is very important that the seed
should be sown early and preferably
on corn land. If sOwn on stubble. the
best results are usually obtained from
fall plowed land. II spring plowed, the
work should be done quite early and
the land should then be packed as soon
as plowed. On loose soils the aim
should be to sow the seed with a press
ldrill, burying it to depth of two to
three inches. Those who intend to SOW
this variety of wheat should secure the
seed in ample time