Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-19
Department of Agriculture
Raising Bigger Crops

Washington, d. c., April l6.-On several mil
lion acres of rich land the winter wheat crop
has been winter-killcd. This land must be quickly
turned to other use. At time like this all of it
must be used TO best advantage. On some OF
these es the best plan will be to let the surviv-
ing VIII at come to harvest. On others, spring
wheat should be planted or corn, or oats. By
prompt and intelligent action much of the wheat
shortage due to unfavorable winter weather can
be made up.
The war emergency may be good thing for
American agriculture. 1t is sure to bring the
Department of Agriculture into great prominence
and to give the nation new confidence in scien-
tifc methods. The secretary OF agriculture has
repeatedly said that if it were only possible to
get all American farmers to adopt the upto-date
methods used by small percentage OF the more
progressive and far-seeing farmers American
agriculture would be absolutely revoutonzed
Production would be enormously increased. II
scientific farming as worked out by experts comes
to spread more generally over the country under
the pressure of war necessity the nation will re-
ceive one valuable compensation for the price
OF war
An enormous amount OF work OF first impor-
lance has already been done by the department
on methods for increasing crop yields. The work
in plant industry as it is technically called,
the improving OF standard crop varieties, the fight
ing of plant diseases, the development of new
methods for the planting and care of crpps and
the introduction Of new plants from all over the
world into the United States 1t is worth noting
that large part of the acreage where the wheat
was winter-kied will be replanted with crops
introduced and developed by the department
Where the winter wheat land is to be replanted
in spring wheat, large proportion Of it will be
given over to the durum wheats. These are for
eign varieties, native to western Asia and south
"a GU Rueeia These ,Iheate prnhahlv fhp
most important plant introduction ever made into
the United States measured by results to date
They have moved the wheat frontier westward
into the dry lands by 100000 bushels a year.
Their story is record of the overcoming OF
prejudice by persistent work and demonstration
When they were first produced in commercial
quantities fifteen years ago they sold at price
of 10 or Is cents a bushel under the common
spring wheats Farmers were practically penal
lied for raising them Last year durum whcats
topped the market
Russian wheats had been raised here and there
in the spring-wheat belt for some years before
the department took hold of the problem. Their
drought-resisting qualities made them attractive
to farmers but they were so exceedingly hard that
millers did not care to handle them, and discour
aged their use. Then the experts got into the
game explored Asia for the best varieties and had
them planted widely through the spring wheat
belt. At score of different experiment stations
they raised the durum wheats side by side with
common wheats and in a large majority OF cases
the durum varieties produced more bushels to
the acre. They were less liable to injury in a
drought and resisted the wheat rusts we'll. Once
all these qualities were made clear to the farmer
he began to see light and planted durum wheats
in spite of the millers' objections. After time
the milfers were forced to give in, and withdrew
from the position that durum wheats were only
suitable for macaroni. They began to use durum
fours in the fancy blends, and today, in spite
of the fact that these new wheats are undeniably
difficult to grind, they are worth more money
than any of the old varieties, and they are being
raised at the rate of 100000 bushels year.
Much Of the land where the wheat was win
ter-killed will be replanted in corn. Corn is a
crop that, can be used either for human or animal
food, and an increased use of cornmeal in the
diet of the nation is of the probabilities for
the next year. As one expert puts it, corn will
be planted on any of the wheat land that is safe
for contrasting. The area of safety for corn
has been considerably increased by work of the
department. The latest achievement in this line
is the development of a "frost-proof corn" which
promises to extend it still further in the near
future.
No less important than the increase OF produc-
tion is the fight against the plant diseases which
are continually threatening to eat the increase up
Different plant diseases responsible for annual
losses amounting to $325,000,000 year. But
STEADY progress IS Deing maze against the wheat
rusts and the potato bghts and the rest OF them.
For immediate relief, the experts work out seed
dips, such as are now being advocated for use
on seed potatoes crop where the loss amounted
to $l12000,000 through disease. On broader
scale the plan is to produce varieties Of fruits and
grains and vegetables which are immune from
disease.
Most of our plant diseases are imported The
citrus canker came from Japan, and the white pine
blister, which is threatening our white pine for
ests, came from Europe. Moreover, in Europe
and Asia they still boast variety of plant
diseases which so far have not appeared in Amer
lea. Hence the extensive plant quarantine legis-
lation enforced by the Department of Agricul-
ture, which has warded off many foreign pests,
such as the pink cotton boll-weevil, which would
threaten our agriculture.
The different problems of what to plant and
how to assure the tisgest crop from the acreage
planted are not all worried out yet but better
methods have been worked out than many of the
farmers are using. The department is ready to
teach any man with farm how to get the most
out of it. If the war will get American agriculture
solidly into line on scientific methods it will
do one good thing for the country.