The Little River news., 1917-11-03
ARE Y(U GOING
 TQ ID YOUR b|T?
More Winter Wheat Must Be Grown This Year Than Ever Bcfore, Says
 Department of Agriculture.
L. w. Osborn, Agronomist College Of Agriculture, University of
 ArSanS1S


 More winter wheat must be grown this coming year than ever before. The immediate War agricultural pro gram for the nation calls for an ill. creased acreage of winter wheat in Arkansas by 37 per cent over th; 1916 crop. Are you going to do your bit?
 Wheat does not require q lot of eX- pensiye labor as does cotton, and though the returns per acre may not be as great it frequently happens that the proportion of profits is greater.
 Choice cf Scil.
 Select a field which is well drained and which is as fertile as can be found on the farm. Do not try to grow the crop on poor land that can not produce over twenty bushels Of corn to the acre Though wheat will do well on most any soil provided it is fertile, the crop is particularly adapted to good loam and clay soils
 Preparation Of Seed Bed.
 deep, thoroughly pulyerized seed bed which has become well settled Is ideal for wheat. It is desirable that land to be seeded to wheat should be plowed and narrowed earIy-in Au. gust if possibie-to permit the seed bed to become firm by seeding time. Late plowed land should be frmad. then the use of the disk harrow. the roller or a heavy plank drag. The spike-toOtt harrow can be used to excellent advantage both on freshly plowed land and just before seeding in order to get the surface in finely pulverized condition.
 Farmers who follow corn with wheat in tue fall usually follow one Of two common practices. The first practice involves huskng or snapping the ears, then breaking down the stalks with heavy plank or spike tooth harrow in the direction in which the ground is to be plowed. The stalks are then turned under. Land prepared in this way should be firm. ly rolled before seeding. The second practice involves cutting corn stalks from the land and removing them. either for fodder or for the silo and then doubledisking the stubble for wheat instead of using the turning blow. This is one of the best plans for making a seed bed.
 Varieties
 Only soft red winter varieties of wheat are grown in this state. If pos sible. get seed from reliable grower in the neighborhood who has been making q success with wheat for sey- eral years. Varieties which do well in this state arc ne6.um early in time of maturity and consequently are moro likely to escape Gamage by rust than later maturing varieties. Good varieties of smooth-headed wheat yield as we'll as bearded wheat. FaI caster is a very dependable bearded wheat Red May, Fultz, Straw and Southern Blue Stem are reliable emooth-headed varieties.
 Time 6f Seeding.
 While early preparation of seed bed is important, it is a good plan to de lay the time of eeeding until after the first white frost The reason for delaying the seeding Of wheat in this way is because of the danger of Hes sian Fly. Though it is not known whether this pest is likely to affect the crop in sections where wheat is seldom grown, it is a good plan to avoid any risk by delaying the seed ing as suggested. It is not wise to delay seeding too long after a fros. has made seeding safe, since reduc- cd yield of grain will result. Late planted wheat is usually not as vigor- ous as wheat planted at the right time.
 Method of Seeding.
 Seeding with a grain drill insures a more uniform stand than broadcast seeding. The grain drill places the seed in moist dirts so that rapid ger imitation follows, even during dry weather. Results of experiment sta tion tests show that use of grain drill averages from 3 to bushels increase in yield over broadcast seeding. When seed is sown broadcast, make very certain that the seed bed is finely pull verized Follow with a harrow and on loose soil with a roller. Wheat should be seeded at the rate of five or six pecks per acre.
 Fertilization.
 Barnyard manure applied at the rate of eight tons to the acre is one of the best fertilizers for wheat. Land with an abundance of organic matter whether obtained from pea vines or any other sources brings A quick re- sponse from wheat. Acid phosphate i. applied at the rate of 150 to 30( pounds per acre and disked into the soil just before seeding will material ly increase the yield.
 Harvesting and Threshina. A binder s4s very necessary in order to harvest wheat economically. The use of the old-fashioned cradle is both difficult and expensive. Farmers growing small aereages should get together and purchase binder for