The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-04-28
SOWING SPRING WHEAT

In the Sprlng-WneaL area, WHICH
covers a large portion of the Dako-
tas, Minnesota and small portions Of
Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska
and Wyoming, q number Of practices
are followed In the preparation Of
the land for spring wheat.
Flowing in some form is the neces-
sary first operation upon which ag-
riculture has depended from the be-
ginning. To the new settler, whose
land is still in native grass, success
or failure frequently depends on how
he prepares his land for his first
crop.
Sod land should be broken deeper
in the semi-arid regions than in the
more humid districts. The early set
tiers OF the Red river valley and
other fairly humid districts Of the
plains found 1t best to break the sod
land three inches deep in May and
June and backset to 6 inches deep
In September or October. Those who
settled in the drier portions of the
plains found the land too dry In the
! fall to backset the sod and turn up
the extra two or three inches of soil.
Their experience shows that under
such conditions the sod should be
broken five to six inches in depth
when the grass is growing most rap
idly, usually in May or June. The
sod is turned evenly, bottom side up,
and it is best not to crop this land
to wheat or any other small grain
the first year. II not sown to fax,
it should be worked down with a disk
and harrow after the heavier rains
of summer and fall. Disking and
narrowing again in the spring will
make a well-prepared seed bed for
wheat. A firm seed bed, with about
three inches of fairly moist mulch,
is. the best preparation for wheat.
When spring wheat is to follow
crop of oats, wheat, or barley the
seed bed is prepared in the fall.
Farther west, in the drier districts,
little or no moisture remains in the
soil after crop has matured. Leav-
ing the stubble standing to catch
snow, and then blowing five to eight
inches deep in the spring, often gives
the best results under these condi-
lions. The land is then worked
down with disk or harrow, which
prevents rapid drying Of the newly
turned soil. Light soils, however,
which are easily blown, should not
be worked too much. Furrowing
them with lister instead of plow-
ing will largely prevent the drifting
of the soil during the winter. The
furrow should be leveled in the
spring by disking and narrowing inn
mediately before drilling the wheat.
When spring wheat follows pota-
toes or corn, the ground should be
disked and narrowed thoroughly In
the spring to prepare seed bed for
the wheat. Spring wheat should be
sown early. On fall-plowed land 1t
is usually safe to sow wheat as soon
as the land can be put in good filth.
after the frost Is out. Where the
land is very weedy, seeding should be
postponed until after the weeds are
killed. A decreased yield usually fol-
lows the seeding of wheat later than
the second week in May.
The quantity OF seed sown varies
with the amount of moisture present
in the soil, the size of the kernel
of the variety used, the condition Of
the seed bed, and the date OF seed
ing. Under ordinary conditions, four
pecks to the acre is best. In the
eastern part of the area, whore rain
fall is high and the soil heavy, rich,
warm, and we'll drained, five to six
pecks give better results. In the
drier soils of the western portions,
three pecks to the acre are sufficient.
Where durum wheat is sown, as
rule the seeding is one peck heavier
than common wheat under the same
conditions. 70
Spring wheat is sown from two to
three inches deep, deeper than three
inches being advised only for loose,
dry soils. On heavy soils with plenty
of moisture. one to two inches depth
is sufficient.
A light cultivation at the time the
young plants are from four to six
inches high is sometimes worth
while. The spring-tooth weeder has
been found best for this purpose, as
it breaks the crust, kills weeds, and
is less injurious to the young plants
than the spike-tooth harrow.
termination tests, securing good
seed, harvesting and threshing the
crop are also dealt with in Farmers
Bulletin No. 678, which may be had
on application to the editor in chief
of the division of publications, Wash
in ptOu n e.