The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1916-10-27
Wheat Growing In Ga.
Tests Made With Different Varieties
And Their Results.
ANDREW M. souLE, President Ga.
State College OF Agriculture.

!
/ Realizing the importance of encour-
I aging the cultivation of winter wheat,
/ the College of Agriculture has been
| conducting for several years past va
riety tests at Athens, Ashburn and
| Quitman 1t is certain that much re.
mains to be ascertained with refer
ence to the best method of cultivation
| and the proper rotation of crops. OF
| course, the fertilizer side of the prob
lem also needs to be carefully inves-
ugated. There is only one serious
drawback to the cultivation of wheat
in the Southeastern states, and that is
that while there is an abundant rain
fall, it is often not well distributed,
hence the crop sometimes suffers from
drought when approaching maturity.
This difficulty can be overcome to
considerable degree by the develop
ment, through selection, of early ma
turing strains and the management of
the land in such a manner as to in.
crease its supply of vegetable matter,
and thus enable it to absorb and hold
greater amount of water.
Rust is among the most destructive
of the diseases to which this cereal
Is subject. The success which has
been attained in developing rust proof
oats, however, leads to the belief that
through persistent efforts strains of
wheat as strongly resistant can also
be obtained
Essentially the same method of man
agement were used at all of the places
indicated, the soil being broken to a
good depth and fine seed bed pre-
pared. AT all places the intention is
to practice a three-years' rotation in
which cotton, corn and small grain
is followed by COW peas By this plan
small grain occupies the land only
once in three years, and as it follows
corn the ground is generally in such
condition that a good seed bed can
be prepared. In this rotation the plan
is to turn under the COW peas as green
manure, and as far as possible. a Gov
er crop OF rye or hairy vetch is usually
seeded in the cotton as well as a soil
builder
1t is the plan to use 400 pounds of
acid phosphate and 100 pounds of mu
riate of potash per acre. In the spring
or the year 100 pounds of sulphate of
ammonia has been applied per acre.
The yield of some of the more i'm
portant varieties tested in Athens is
recorded below. 1t appears that as a
result of two years work Deitz Amber
made an average yield of 2S.7 bushels
per acre; Georgia Red, 2S3 bushels;
Fulcaster ga bushels; Australian
Red, I'll bushels; Red May, 26.7
bushels; Blue Stem 26.6 bushels
Mammoth Red, 266 bushels; Fultz.
25.9 bushels; Klondke, PSF bushels;
F'ishhead, 25.4 bushels, and Bearded
Purple Straw, 24.3 bushels. These
must be regarded as good yields and
wherever they can be Appropriated
the cultivation of wheat as a winter
cover crop and the production of
grain for bread can be practiced to
advantage.
The yields obtained from some of
the leading varieties at Ashburn are
as follows: Blue Stem, 1876 bushels;
Georgia Red, 1876 bushels; Red May,
1873 bushels; Australian Red, 1873
bushels; Deitz Amber, 14.9 bushels;
F'ultz, 1877 bushels; Fishhead. 1873
bushels; KlOndike, 121 bushels; Nam
moth Red, III bushels Fulcaster, III
bushels. These yields are not nearly
so good as those obtained on the cecil
clay typical of the Piedmont area,
and yet number of these varieties
could be grown to advantage on the
Triton sandy loan under seasonal and
soil conditions similar to those OBJ
tanning at Ashburn with good advan-
tage.
The yields obtained at Quitman,
where this work has only been car
ried on one year, were not satisfac.
tory, but it would not be fair to draw
any conclusion from test covering
only one year Blue Stem made the
highest yield of any varietey, namely
81 bushels Cultivating wheat on this
basis would, of course, not be profit
able. Possibly when these soils are
improved and a better season expert
enced, the yields will be considerably
increased. 1t is important to remem.
Der that through selection and breed.
ing 1t will more than likely be posi-
bic to develop strains much better
adapted for cultivation in the south
ern part of the territory than now.