VARIETY TESTS OF WHEAT 



By 



E. F. Cauthen 



Owing to llic urgent need of wheat to meet llic 

 conditions that have grown out of the European War, 

 the farmers of Ahibama are advised to increase the 

 wheat acreage — especially where the land is fairly well 

 adapted to this important crop. They are advised 

 to sow wheat not as a money crop, but to supply their 

 own farm needs wdth wheat bread. To grow it is the 

 only sure way for Alabama farmers to have a supply 

 next year. 



Experiments with varieties of wdieat have been made 

 almost continuously for 20 years on the Alabama Ex- 

 periment Station farm at Auburn. They show that a 

 reasonable crop may be expected almost every year 

 when planted under conditions like those here. The 

 fertilizer per acre applied at planting time usually con- 

 sisted of 240 pounds of acid phosphate, 160 pounds of 

 cotton seed meal and 160 pounds of kainit, or its 

 equivalant of potash in some form, per acre. Between 

 March 10 and 25 a top dressing of 100 pounds of nitrate 

 of soda per acre was usually given. 



Some years the wheat was planted on cowpea stub- 

 ble; other years, on cotton or corn land. In all cases 

 the land w^as plowed well, seed sown broadcast by 

 hand, and covered about two inches deep with a disk 

 harrow. 



The varieties of seed were obtained from different 

 sources and planted at the rate of one bushel per acre. 

 The average date of planting for the last 10 years w^as 

 November 11; the average date of harvesting for the 

 same period of years w^as May 29 for all varieties ex- 

 cept the Alabama Blue Stem, which was harvested 

 about 10 days earlier. 



*This bulletin contains the results of the variety tests re- 

 ported in bulletin No. 179 and similar data that have accumu- 

 lated since its publication. 



