The evening leader., 1917-08-14
Nation Calls For Billion Bushels
In Wheat Crop In the Next Year
Acreage to Be Greatly In
creased = Rye Yield Also
to Be In,proved-Plan
Of Officials


basis Of ten year averages, will yield
So, ,635, 900 bushels. This is an increase
of 917,000 acres, or % per cent over
that sown last year, when the largest
acreage In the history of the country
was put in. 1t is an increase of 48 per
cent over the 1915 acreage and of 81
per cent over the five year Q912-16
average sown acreage.
In any consideration of the expansion
of the acreage of bread grains in GER
tain parts Of the country it is necessary
to consider wheat and rye together.
This is because rye can be planted safe
ly on many fields with less risk than
wheat. Further, rye can be used as
substitute for wheat as a bread grain
by those who are accustomed to it. Rye
succeeds on poorer soils and with less
fertilizer and in colder climates than
wheat and for these reasons should be
planted in preference to wheat where it
has been proved a safer crop. The
farmer who, because Of an attractive
tempted to plant wheat rather than rye
in locality where rye is the more GER
tain crop takes a speculative risk OF
loss through winter killing and destruc-
tive wheat diseases which is unwarrant-
ed. While no guaranteed price for rye
has been authorized by congress- there
is every reason to expect that the price
of rye for the-next year will hear a sat-
isfactory relation to that of wheat and
therefore justify the planting of rye
where the present experience with it in
dicates its superiority.
T Methods to Increase Yields.
n Specialists of the department of ag-
riculture and the state agricultural col
leges hope that b. better methods the
average yield per acre will be at least
maintained wherever there is fer
| tilizer shortage and will be increased
! in other sections. Much educational
work will be done to make this desire
| an actuality, and In this campaign the
most successful growers will have a
| prominent part. For instance, 1t Is
stated that on the land that could be
| sown to fall wheat this autumn 1t is
! possible materially to increase the
| yield per acre by putting into practice
some principles that are already well
known to most farmers. These should
appeal especially to those who cannot
| Increase their usual acreages without
dninn Injustice to other crops which
should be grown.
These principles may be summed up
as follows:
First. Plow early Give the plcwed
land two months to settle before SOW.
ing where possible.
Second Compact the late plowed
land with roller and harrow.
Third.-Don't plow after cultivated
crop. Prepare such land with disk and
harrow
Fourth. = Make the seed bed a fit
place for the seed
Fifth.-Sow with drill sound.
plump, clean seed of adapted variety.
Sixth.--Prevent losses from smut by
treating infected seed with formalde-
hyde.
Seventh.-Make the soil fertile with
manure or fertilizers applied judicious-
ly where needed.
Eighth.-Reduce winter killing by
following the above suggestions.
The accomplishment of this great In,
crease of wheat and rye acreage with
out disrupting correct farming practice
will call for tremendous effort on the
part Of farmers. However, the United
States department of agriculture, the
state colleges of agriculture and other
state and local agencies are planning
to aid in every way possible.