VOL. XXII.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, AUG. 6,1887.
NO. 32
Written for tbe Indiana Farmer.
WHEAT YIELDS AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
A   Comparative Test of Forty-six  Varieties.
BY W. C. I.ATTA.
The wheats were grown on a dark heavy
lnaiii well drained. The previous crops
were clover ami timothy two years, corn
one year, oats one year, in the order
named. The wheats were sown at the rate
of rive pecks to the acre. Commercial fertilizers,—chiefly phosphates—were applied
after seeding at the rate of 200 pounds per
ture. The year has been very favorable,
as only one wheat, (Genoese, imported by
the National Department of Agriculture)
was winter killed to an appreciable extent. The yields are given for four years
in the accompanying table:
TABLE OrVINO YIELDS OK Kflllt YEARN.
9!
Name.
I   Velvet Chaff	
'- Kxtra Karly Oakley	
" Fllltz	
■I Velvet <'ha"*(smooth).
* Hold Dust	
ii Iieriuun Kmperor	
7 Fnleaster	
H Smooth Seotl	
a Hedge's Proline	
10 Velvet Chair	
Ill Russian smooth	
IS Yazoo..
1* Emporium Scott	
H Pata#onIan Trigc	
lri Armstrong Lancaster	
Ill .ViKger	
17 Velvet Chaff _	
18i Lancaster	
ID Ked May	
'--0 C'law-on	
-I *IHehl-Medlterranean	
22 Martin Amber	
it Fultz-Clawson 	
2* Velvet Cbaf}	
2-j Poole	
a> High Oratle.	
-7 Wyandotte	
28 Perkins 	
29 Velvet Chaff...	
30 *Diehl-Meilllerranean	
31 Earlv Rice   :	
32 Raub's Black Proline	
3" Genoese	
34 Everitt'B High Grade	
35 New Monarch	
36 Diet?. Longberry	
:t7 Velvet Chaff	
38 Hich I- Lancaster.. 	
39 Tasmantan.:.	
-Hi Iliehl-Egyptian	
41 German Amber	
42 Landreth	
43 'Michigan Amber I Purdue)..
44 Velvet Chaff.	
45 Rodgers.	
■Hi Ked Russian	
47 /.i in merman	
48 Kuropean	
49 Egyptian	
50 Velvet Chaff	
51 Wyandotte	
52 Michigan Amber - Riley)	
53 McOh.ee White	
54 Badger	
55 McCracken	
5* Finley	
57 Velvet Chaff	
Bush, per acre.
1884.1885 1-s,
34
•Hybrid Mediterranean.
tCalled also. Red Amber anil Red Knit/.
Comparing the two standard varieties
grown on the college farm—Velvet I 'haff
and Michigan Amber (No. 34)—with the
other kinds we find that, in 1887, 22 kinds
yield more than the former and 23 yield
less; while the latter excels 37 kinds,
equals four, and is surpassed by only five.
TABLE  SHOWING AVERAGE YIELDS FOR
FOITR YEARS.
Bash,
per
       acre.
11 Velvet Chart i bearded i  32.'
 - S1.2
  29.11
  27.5
  27.2
  27.0
  -J*.2
  25.5
  25.2
  24.2
  24.2
  24.2
  24.0
  "M
  B."
  23.5
  illl
  21.7
  2L2
-...  21.11
  20.0
Name
Velvet I -liatl - bearded >	
Michigan Amlier (Pnrilue'..
Clawson	
Red Russian	
European 	
Kgvptian	
Hedges I'roliHc	
l.aiica-sli-r	
Finley	
Emporium Scull	
Armstrong-1 jtncasler	
"ulu..
/.i miner ni an	
I tie hi Mediterranean
Martin Amber	
Landreth	
Uiehl-Kgyptian	
FulU-Clawson	
Hie hi Lancaster	
As the average yield for a numlier of
years indicates closely the relative hardiness of wheats I give in the above
table the average yields of all wheats that
have been grown continuously on the college farm during the last four years. The
wheats are averaged in the order of their
yields, the highest being first.
Of the above 21 kinds only the first two
named have proven quite hardy here in
severe winters. The Velvet Chaff is a
plump, light red wheat, rather better for
dark colored soils. It has straw of medium strength. The Michigan Amber has
a dark red, rather angular grain, a smooth
head, strong straw, and bronze chart.
This wheat seems well suited to both dark
and light colored soils. Toavoid unnecessary correspondence I will add that the
college can furnish seed wheat of Michigan Amber and Velvet Chaff only. Parties
interested should see our advertisement
in this issue as it will appear but once. A
bulletin, giving full account of yvheat experiments at the college, will probably be
issued soon, and sent free to all who apply.
I.afayette, July 23, 1887.
Rodgers
RedM
ay..
Postal Card Correspondence.
INDIAN'.
Rush Co., July 30.—Weather continues
hot and dry; water scarce. K. K.
Fran k li n Co., July 3(1.—-Oats very short;
corn crop not estimated at more than half
a crop. A. W. H.
Hancock Co., July 30.—Corn is sutl'er-
ing; there has not been one inch of rain
in two months; pastures are drying up.
S. S. K.
GIBSON Co., July 31.- Remarkably dry
ind hot; we have hail but one and one
tenth inch rainfall for (13 days; corn badly
damaged by the drouth. E. J.
Crawford Co., July 30.—The weather is
extremely hot and the ground very dry;
corn and pastures are very much needing
rain ; too dry to sow turnips.       J. M. .1.
Randolph Co., July 30.-Very dry;
grass and corn drying up; gardens almost
a failure; potato crop short; hot and dry
and no prospect yet for rain.      \V. J. 1).
Jefferson Co., July 30.—Corn cannot
Im- a half crop; the showers seem to benefit
but little on account of the intense heat
following; no abatement of heat.
I". I.. M.
Clinton Co., July 30.—All clay ground
corn ruined ; black soil ground will yield
half a crop; oats crop just threshed and
excellent; late clover doing no good ; )io-
tati>es will be none; no rain scarcely for
six weeks. R. U.S.
Henry  Co., July   90.—Wheat   pretty
nearly all thrashed but the yield is not so
much as was expected; grapes and sweet
potatoes doing well; corn and pasture
need rain; Irish potatoes short; apples
scarce; pears middling plenty.        W. I).
(ii-.EKNK. Co., July 30.—The rain last
week relieved the drouth only for the
time being; it is bad as ever now; the upland corn is gone, and that in the lowlands badly damaged; weather excessively hot; heat very oppressive; winter apples falling from the trees. W. II. S.
Switzerland Co., July 29.— Crop conditions remain   unchanged and unless co
pious rains bring speedy relief the prospect is very discouraging; the tobacco crop
in the county will lie two-thirds below the
average and will command high prices.
thus in a measure compensate for the deficiency iu yield; wheat is arriving in
moderate quantities and selling at 65 cents.
c. <i. B.
Boone   Co.,   July   2it.—We   are  in   the
midst of the most terrible drouth ever
known thisearly in the season; wheat ami
oats good ; hay half crop; vegetables and
eorn almost a failure; eorn will make
nothing but fodder in many fields; pastures completely burned out, making
feeding necessary, and the watercourses
are drying nji making stock water scarce.
I. N. B.
Bartholomew Co., August 1.—In this
section we are having a very severe
drouth; no rain since Oth day of June except a few slight rains not sufficient to
wet the ground; corn is curled up very
badly and some dead; the few a|i|>les,
peaches and pears are drying up on the
trees; we had a fair crop of wheat and
oats; grass light pasture dried up; wells
and cisterns are failing. W. W.
■ i.i.i ><»■*.
i »oi.i: Co., July   20.—Badly   scorched up
again this  week; hot   winds and   no rain;
very hard   on the   corn;   oats   are   being:
stacked   and    threshed;   yield    about   28 j
bushels and no trick to thresh 60 acres per
day of ten hours. C. U. S.
UWTUCKT.
Mt Hi.KNiiKHii Co., July 29. -This part
of Kentucky is exceedingly dry: corn is
drying up yery badly and water in many
places very scarce; if it does not rain soon
corn will be cut B0 per cent. T. P. B.
(general 31eurs.
California's raisin crop this year will be
1,000,000 boxes, and the quality will lie tlie
best.
A shark recently- captured in San Kran-
cisco bay contained a peck of young lobsters.
In U~M-7 the collections of internal revenue amounted to $118,83.r>,7-'i7, at a cost of
14,075,0*0.
There are over 300,000 children inthe
I'nited Stales, lietween one and twelve
years old, whose lives are insured.
The price of leaf tobacco inthe New-
York market has gone up 50 to 100 per
cent this month, and is still climbing.
John Taylor, president of the Mormon
church, died at Salt Lake City, I'tah, July
27. The funeral was held in the tabernacle.
Thunderstorms and floods did much
damage in New York and Pennsylvania
hist week. Around Heading the loss is
estimated at(180,000.
California boasts of her timber, and it is
stated that pine boards 80 feet long and
three feet wide, without knot or blemish,
can readily be obtained there.
The largest steamboat in American waters is to be built for the Kail river line.
It will lie called the Puritan, and will be
lui feci long ai the water line. She will
have 335 state-rooms and all modern improvements. She will cost $1,500,000, and
will be finished in May, 1889.
In New York, Philadelphia and some
other cities the roof in the tenement ho i«e
district is a general resort in hot nights
Sometimes whole familes camp out.
R. P. Clement, president of the Citizens'
Savings bank of   l.i-aveiisworth Kansas, is
a defaulter for about $50,000 and a fugitive,
lie speculated in wheat   with the   bank'
funds and lost.
Mrs. Mancel Talcott, of Chicago, has established and maintains two day nurseries
for the children of workingwomen. In
these nurseries 1,000 children are eared for
on an average every month.
Townsend Cox, chairman of the New
Y'ork State Forest Commission, proposes
to establish one or more parks for the
propagation of deer and other game upon
lands belonging to the State situated in
the Catskill region.
In Spring Valley, 111., Mr. Bloom lost
his life going into a well filled with black-
damp, to fix a pump. A second man volunteered to go down and bring him up.
He, too, was overcome and fell dead on
the corpse of the first man.
Captain Win. A. Owen, a well-known
market butcher and local politician of Detroit, was instantly killed by a crazy
freak. He whipped his horses into a dead
run, the tongue of the buggy broke, and
lie was dashed to the earth and brained.
.lames McConlay, of Hastings, Neb., received the body of his only son, Hugh,
Who was reported to have been killed in
the St. Thomas (Ont.)accident three weeks
ago. The body was followed to the grave
by sorrowing relatives. One day last
week the old man was astonished to see
his son walk into the house.
A well-to-do negro living on Orange
I^ake, Kla., sayv a large alligator make his
appearance among a lot of hogs in the
lake, seize one of the best in the herd and
attempt to make off to deep water with it.
The other hogs attacked the alligator on
all sides—some by the legs, others by any
convenient part. After killing him they
fell to work making a hearty meal of
him.
THE WONDER RASPBERRY.
We visited Mr. Bobbins, the propagator
of the Wonder raspberry, at his home near
Arcadia, one day last week, and examined
his little raspberry plantation with much
interest. Notwithstanding the long and
excessive drouth the vines are growing
thriftily and setting a tine second crop of
lierries, which Mr. R. assures us will be
even larger and finer than those of the
first crop. The Wonder is enormously
productive, many ofthe stalks bearing
an aggregate of more than 3,000 berries, or
a gallon or more. The new plants, of this
year's growth, begin to ripen fruit in July
and continue bearing until after frost.
The same plants bear another crop in the
spring, the berries ripening two to three
weeks in advance of most other black oap
varieties.
Thk records at the Signal Service station
attest the fact that all will readily believe
that the July just past was the hottest for
seventeen years. The average temperature
of the month yvas 80.0°. 79.00 was the highest average in any preceding, that of 1879.
The average of the month in 1884 was only
73.7 degrees.