Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-07-12
UNEVEN GRAIN
RIPENING BIG
FARM PROBLEM

Montana farmers face the most SER
ious harvest problem in the spring
wheat growing history of the state
says M. l.. Wilson, agricultural econ
omist of the Montana experiment sta
ton at Bozeman. This problem grows
out of the Uneven ripening of grain
that terminated unevenly, and the
fact that so much of Montana's wheat
is harvested by combine.
In almost every dry land field of
the state there is spring wheat that
terminated early from moisture held
over in the soil, and otter grain that
did not terminate during the dry
weather of April and May, but started
growth with the rains of June. This
makes "patchy" grain, which will not
ripen evenly. If the straight COM
bine be put into such a field, there
will be so much green and immature
grain in the storage bins that heating
and loss are almost sure to follow.
If the farmer waits for the late grain
to ripen with the early grain, he runs
the risk Of hail and wind.
Mr.. Wilson urges that farmers go
ahead with their plans to purchase
or use combines, but that combine
farmers be sure to plan special equip
ment for windrowing, the cutting of
grain in swaths where it may ripen
and later be picked up and threshed
by the combine. In order to have
this windrowing equipment ready for
harvest, plans must be started imme-
diately. If the farmer has not kept
his old binders, it is better to buy
windrow equipment from the manu-
facturer to lit their make of COM
bine. If such windrowing equipment
is to be purchased, orders should be
placed Immediately to insure delivery
before harvest time. If old binders
are still on the farm, home made
windrowing equipment may be made
from plans that will be furnished by
any county agricultural extension
agent. Header barges also may be
used efficiently to cut and stack grain
which may be later threshed by the
combine.
"There is nothing in this warning
to lessen the d~esirabilfty of the COM
bine in Montana" a y Mr.. Wilson.
In fact the use Of a combine this year,
when yields will probably average
lower, will be more desirable than in
the average year, for the saving by
the combine method will in many cases
cover the cost of the machine. But
the special widrowing equipment will
be necessary if we have average
weather the rest of this season and
this special equipment must be plan
ned for at once. Manufacturers can
not supply this equipment on short
notice at harvest time and it cannot
be home made on short notice. Loss
that threatens in, our harvest year
can be largely prevented if wheat
farmers act quickly in planning spec
ial harvest equipment"
State college, experiment station
and extension service workers are CO.
operating in an emergency education
program to prevent the loss of grain
in the 1923 harvest. County extern
sion agents are being supplied with
detail information, which will be
available Immediately to wheat grow
ers. An emergency circular covering
the harvest problem of 1928 is being
hurried through at Bozeman for dis
tribution through county extension
agents. A general request has beer
issued to the press of the state to
cooperate in the campaign to reduce
the threatened harvest loss this year
If all agencies work together, it is be.
lieved that a spring wheat loss OF
from 10 to Is per cent can be pre-
vented.