The Mena weekly star., 1917-10-25
ARE Y.U G0ING
 ID DU YOUR BIT?
More Winter Wheat Must Be Grown This Year Than Eves Before, Says
 Department of Agriculture.
l.. W. Osborn, Agronomist College of Agriculture, University of
 Arkansas


 Agriculture, University of
 Arkansas.
 More winter wheat must be grown this coming year than ever before. The immediate war agricultural pro gram for the nation calls for an in creased acreage of winter wheat in Arkansas by 37 per cent over tho 1916 crop. Are you going to do your bit?
 Wheat does not require a lot of ex- pensive 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 of Soil.
 Select field which is we'll 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.
 A deep. thoroughly pulverized 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 early-in Au- gust if possible-to permit the seed bed to become firm by seeding time. Late plowed land should be firmed then the use of the disk harrow, the roller or a heavy plank drag. The spike-tooth 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 the fall usually follow one of two common practices The first practice involves husking 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 double-disking the stubble for wheat instead of using the turning blow This Is one of the best plans tor making a seed oed.
 Varieties.
 Only soft red winter varieties of wheat are grown in this state. If pos sible, get seed from a reliable grower in the neighborhood who has been making a success with wheat for sev- eral years Varieties which do well in this state are medium early in time | Of maturity and consequently are more likely to escape damage by rust than later maturing varieties Good varieties of smooth-headed wheat yield as well as bearded wheat. Fal- caster is a very dependable bearded wheat. Red May Fultz, Straw and Southern Blue Stem are reliable smooth-headed varieties.
 Time of Seeding. While early preparation of seed bed is important, 1t is good plan to de lay the time of seeding 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 1t is not known whether this pest is likely to affect l the crop in sections where wheat is seldom grown, it is 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- ed 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 ton tests show that use of grain drill