VOL. .LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 19, 1911.
NO. 33
INDIANA WHEAT GROWING.
1,1 I I'    AND    SHALLOW     PLOWING
WITH RE.StTLiTS.
Fertilizers    Stimulate    Rapid    Growth
I'or winter Protection.
Indiana stands at the  top,  ahead of
nil other States in    the Union,    In the
production   nf   winter   wheat  per   acre.
It grows iiniuially ahout 2,BOO,000 acres
i.   but   the   average   yield   per
acre Is too low.     Ten years previous to
Ihis it has been 13.3 bushels only. This
■   seem   reasonable   becauae   we
.,, ,11. n   hear   of  fields  yielding  large
,raa|'M.    Such   yields  as  these,   however,
.,    in ii. in lly  by a    few  of     the  best
. mid  there are so many others
atraaKiiii;   small   crops   which   we   never
hear taalked about but which cause tin-
of the    State to    he brought
low as  it is.
Hheat at the Purdue Experiment Sta-
. tion Farm.
llowing table shows the results
T the winter  wheat  variety  test  con-
.   ..1  on  the  Purdue  farm at I__fay-
• .:<• hist year,  together  with  the aver-
ja.v j ields for the last three crops sent
io us by  Prof.  A.  T.   Wiancko.    The
years   averages   are   low   because
ar germination and  poor soil two
Tears ago, and  excessive winter killing
ar.     The yields this season were
satisfactory considering the exces-
hot and  dry weather during the
ripening     period,     causing     premature
er.ing and  more or less shriveling of
grain.       All   the   varieties   had   a
good stand of plants and came through
the winter in fine condition.   There was
no damage   by Hessian  fly  and  no  appreciable   amount   of   disease   of     any
kind.     The  varieties  marked  with   an
asterisk  (*)  have bearded heads.
Ylelal Av. yield
per aere last three
Variety                       bu., 1911. crops, bus.
nee    08.3 20.6
ian     27.2 1H.4
»    PraallHo     W.J 17.6
•Dtk..ta   Wonder     17.7
I   ai,,|den   Chaff. 29.2 20.0
' ip 25.6 ■	
Proinc 27.9 19.5
Harvest     t».J 22.1
Ripe 25.8 17.4
ian 27.5 19.2
rase     27.2 ■	
r's   Friend 28.2 19.2
ster 23.9 17.9
a   Winter   5637... 25.8 20.7
■ '■ a 28.0 17.6
n    I'ross,   White..23.4 115.9
 25.4 lt.f
-    Prollflc 24.9 	
il    Amber 27.8 18.8
■rt      24.9 	
an   Amber    28.3 22.1
Trlile 27.1 	
cr    Link 25.2 	
anerican   Banner.31.1 21.3
Malakoft 27" 	
- 28.0 16.0
Ironclad 27 2 16.8
Proline    28.6 19.S
"f  Imllana    26.9 16.8
of   New   York...25.6 15.3
a'tz 28.8 16.6
assian 29.3 17.fi
ave     29.6 22.4
le     S0.5 16.7
 28.6 21.2
ia    Amber     29.0 20.7
i-d's    Prollflc 29.4 16.3
F'lltz-Kroni" 25.9 18.1
Fultz-Shepherd. .27.2 18.9
Pultz-Whlte 29.5 18.8
.       "    Wheat.... 28.4 ■
ell 27.8 16.3
 28.0 22.2
Chaff 23.4	
« 34.9 IM
Fife 27.5 21.1
I    King 33.2 	
i'urdue   station   is   prepared   to
Continue cooperative   variety   tests  this
»nd  can  supply about a hundred
OS farmers with ten pound lots of
OT five promising varieties.       Any-
" interested in making such a test on
•wn farm  should write to the De
partment of Soils and Crops, Purdue
Experiment Station, I_ifayette, lnd.,
for particulars.
The time and the method of seed bed
preparation for wheat very materially
influences the yield, especially in dry
seasons. Getting the seed bed right
and keeping it right will do wonders
on any farm.
Wheat   1-a in I   and   Moisture
When wheat follows clover the second growth of clover mny be cut before plowing but it is never advisable
to delay plowing until just before sowing.     Where corn is followed by wheal
cause ridges made by the drills aid  in
biilaling snow and  protecting tla.-  plant.
Only  I'lump  ;See<l  Wheal.
It is always advisable to sow tin- in st
Med that can lie procured, iiii matter
what crop one wishes to raise. If
every year tiie lust wheat having the
heaviest and plumpest grains is used
for seed, the yield will be Increased
materially, other things being equal. In
Nebraska experiments were tried with
heavy and light wluat. Each plot received tlio same culture but the heavy
wheat produced a yield of -'7.!* buahela
while the light seed  yielded   22.S   bush-
PLorr Deep.
Pmitr Frcos in Son
Turrttio rrtr/tfiotr
Orsa Fumsorr
Srmu. 6/rorrrrr
o— Ssoi.ee 3m.
nmr, if. S0.S0..
Deep Plowing for  the Best Wheat Props.
it is impossible to plow, but the disc
drill does the work effectually. Thorough cultivation during the summer,
has kept the grovind mellow. Stubble
land should be plowed deep. This enables the roots to penetrate into the
soil. It also ensures a better moisture
supply as deep plowing not only holds
moisture better than shallow plowing,
but it is able to take in more moisture
from the rains. The State stations
have been working on this problem of
retaining moisture and in a circular
published, the North Dakota station
says: "The surface two inches will
dry out. In the case of four inch plowing that will leave only two inches of
moist plowed soil to feed the plant,
while in the case of eight inchea plowing there will be six inches of moist
plowed soil, or three times as much
to feed the plant. Then again the lower four inches of the deep plowing will
contain more than twice as much as
the lower two inches of the shallow-
plowing."
I -in. the Drill.
After such a dry summer as we have
had we should use every precaution to
retain moisture. The value of careful
tillage cannot be over-estimated, especially is this true during a dry season. In seeding wheat there are many-
points In favor of the use of a drill.
Drilling requires less seed than broadcasting. It insures a uniform stand
and depth of covering of seed which
results in better germination. Drilled
wheat is said to winter better than
broadcasted    wheat does,    perhaps be
ds per acre, a difference of 5.1 bushels
in favor of the heavy. At the Indiuna
station similar experiments were carried on with large and small grained
wheat. The large seed produced 30.5
bushels per acre and the small seed
2 7.9 bushels per acre, a difference of
2.6 bushels in favor of the large seed.
Amount of Seed Per Acre.
As to the amount of seed, six pecks
per acre is generally considered right
to bring the largest returns. This varies, however, depending upon soil fertility and the condition of the seed bed.
On a well prepared seed bed of good
fertility four pecks may be sufficient,
but If the conditions are reversed eight
or ten pecks would be required to get
equally as good a stand. Every farmer should study his soil and determine
just what amount of seed should be
used in his particular case.
Time of  Sowing.
The same is true as to the time of
sowing. Seeding time varies in Indiana from the second week In September In the northern part of the State
to the first week in October in the
southern portion. But on fertile and
properly prepared soil seeding may
safely be done considerably later. In
fact it is advisable to sacrifice some
time, if necessary, in order to prepare
a good seed bed. I_tte seeding too Is
one of the means of avoiding the Hessian fly.
Using Fertilizers.
Wheat responds more readily to a
good   application   of  commercial   fertil
izers. The Purdue station recommenals
the use of about 104 pounds per ant- ul
a fertiliser containing two per eent nitrogen, sight per cent available phosphoric acid and two to tour per cent
of potash, applied at seeding time. A
fertilizer attachment on the drill is a
good method of making this application
and tliis is generally the way such
fertilizers are applied at seeding time.
While it is always in order to give the
soli all the barn yard manure at hand
before breaking, commercial fertilizers
are excellent to stimulate quick and
rapial growth and give the wheat plant
well set rooting to withstand the winter season. This is one of the greatest benefits of commercial fertilizers,
and tliey are used in this way very
profitably.
CLOVEB FOK   THIN LAND.
I would like to have some information in regard to alsike clover. Can
a stain,1 of it be gotten easily and will
it withstand winter better than red
clover?. I have thin land which I want
to build up and at the same time get
some returns. The clover that I sow 111
this .spring has failed and I am at a
loss to  know  what  to  do.
Montgomery  Co. W.   T.   S.
Answer: Alsike clover I.s very hardy.
It is more of a perennial than red
clover, and has a superficial root system which enables the plant to resist
frosts that often uproot red clover and
cause much injury.
It is not as hard to get a stand of
alsike clover as it is with red clover.
Alsike thrives better on worn lands,
damp, wet clay soils, and is less affected by dry or cold seasons than most
any other variety of clover.
For feed, however, alsike is not as
good as red clover. The hay Is somewhat bitter. This variety of clover is
very seldom sown alone. The stems are
not heavy and are not strong enough
to support themselves, and in wet seasons the crop becomes lodged. For
early fall sowing it is advisable to seed
alsike with wheat or rye using about
one-half or two-thirds the quantity of
clover seed as Is used when red clover
is sown   in  this fashion.
A MEW LAWK MOWER.
Kdltors Indiana Farmer:
As the farm horses will probably be
put out of work by steam machinery,
the smaller animals seem likely to be
brought into play. In Kent, the
county we came from in England,
guinea-pigs are being used to keep the
lawns in order. A low wire barrier
is placed around the Inclosure, and a
numlier of guinea-pigs are turned in.
The best way, if possible ls to arrange a
passage from the hutch.
They begin on the worst weed—the
plantain; then the dandelions and daisies. The broad-leaved plants are hardly touched by the lawn-mower. When
they are demolished, the little animals
proceed to the grass, and the lawn
looks as though cut by the closest machine.
In a mild climate they can be kept
at work winter and summer, and are
much healthier than kept merely as
pets. As they are being used for golf
grounds they promise to be in much
demand. Geese have been employed
as grass-trimmers, but for broad-leaved weeds, they are useless.
Oregon. I* A. N.