The Pulaskian., 1916-09-29


 ment Of AgTEcu7turs.1
 Because Of the great distance Of the Panhandle Of Texas from large mar kets and the consequent desirability Of feeding to stock a large portion of the crops raised. mixed farming. it is de clared by specialists in the United States department Of agriculture, is the only profitable type Of agriculture for the region. The conditions making the carrying on Of mixed farming opera tions imperative if adequate returns are to be received are outlined in Farmers Bulletin 73s, recently issued by the department
 In the Panhandle section the sor- ghums. especially milo. kafir and feter- ita, are the principal crops grown, oc- cupying about three-fourths of the to- tai cultivated area. In addition to these the small grains have an impor- tant. though minor. place in the agri- cultural scheme.
 The bulletin recommends the grow ing of winter wheat, spring oats. win ter rye and proso. Winter grains. it says, have been more successful in the Panhandle than spring grains. and spring oats is the only one of the lat ter that has proved even fairly profit able. At the present time the winter wheat crop is Of much more importance from a money standpoint than spring oats. Both these crops. however, can be used to advantage in a general farming system.
 Winter rye is desirable because of Its hardness Though it's yields are not the equal Of those of winter wheat. it nearly always comes through the winter in good shape and it has never failed to produce more seed than was sowed. This cannot be said of wheat. At the present time. however. very lit tie rye is grown in the Panhandle
 Proso is a species of miliet intro duced from Russia and often called hog millet and broom corn millet. It is grown for grain. not for hay. and fed particularly 10 hogs. sheep and poultry. To the dry land farmer its chief value is it's eariiness. for prose can produce a crop of seed in two months CT less from the time of seed ing. The bulletin recommends that this crop should be raised for home use, but warns the grower that it is not likely to he profitable when sold on the market.
 For the growing of winter grains the land should be prepared as early in the summer as possible and plowed to a depth of at least six inches. Weeds should not be allowed to get a start. but in keeping them down care must be taken not to fine the surface soil too much. Fine surface land will blow more than If it is left somewhat rough, and the high winds which prevail throughout the Panhandle must be reckoned with in all agricultural oper- ations. Increased yields are obtained from alternating summer fallow aud crops. but the increase is not large enough to pay for the extra work in- volved.
 As has been said. the sorghum crops occupy the most important place in Panhandle agriculture. These grow late in the fall and leave the soil dry so that 1t is not advisable to follow them with winter grain. It is better to grow some leguminous crop like COW peas the next year and to follow this with wheat or rye.
 Wheat should be sown about October 15, though in an average season any time from October 1 to November 1 will do. The amount of moisture in the soil at seeding time and the sub sequent weather conditions have a greater influence upon the yield than the date upon which the crop is sown. Three pecks per acre is the rate rec commended under ordinary conditions. The Turkey type is probably the best for this region.
 Rye is the other winter grain reeom- mended in the bulletin. Spring rye. it