10 



(5) the Hard AYinter Wheat district, including- the Middle States of 

 the Plains; (6) the Durum Wheat district, including a part of the 

 Southern States of the Plains; (7) the Irrigated Wheat district, includ- 

 ing* in general the scattered portions of wheat area in the Rocky 

 Mountain and Basin States; and (8) the White Wheat district, includ- 

 ing the larger part of the Pacific Coast States. Just as these districts 

 differ from each other in their characteristics, so do the particular 

 needs of the wheat grower in each dijfJer widely from those of other 

 districts. (See colored map, frontispiece of this bulletin.^) 



GENERAL NEEDS OF ALL, THE DISTRICTS. 



Before describing these districts separately, it will be well to note 

 briefl}^ two general needs common to all of them. These are (1) greater 

 yielding power and (2) earlier maturity. In the writer's experience 

 these are found to be ever present needs, not onl}^ in all our own 

 States but in all wheat countries. 



YIELDING POWER. 



This quality is of course always desirable, simply from the stand- 

 point of obtaining the greatest possible profit from the same area. 

 Nevertheless, on account of peculiar local conditions the demand for a 

 large yield is given much more emphasis in some localities than in 

 others. Besides, the need of a large yield does not always arise from 

 the same cause, and in many cases it is not real, but only appears so 

 because of defects in other regards. To illustrate, the Palouse country 

 of Washington and Idaho may ])e taken as an example in contrast with 

 that of the Southern States. In the Palouse country the regular aver- 

 age yield is already probably near 25 bushels per acre, while 35 or 40 

 bushels per acre is a common crop in certain seasons, and 60 bushels 

 not particularly rare. Yet from no part of the country has the writer 

 had more requests for information concerning larger-\^ielding varieties. 

 As a matter of fact prices of wheat are proportional^ so low on 

 account of the great distance from good mai'kets, and the method of 

 summer fallowing, which allows a crop only ever}^ second j^ear, is so 



' It has been a most difficult matter to prej^are this map, and it is not claimed that 

 it is accurate. Indeed it would he impossible at present to prepare an accurate map 

 of this nature. But it represents ajjproximately the different wheat districts charac- 

 terized mainly by the cultivation of certain natural groups of wheats. Of course the 

 different groups will lap over more or less from one district to another. In all that 

 part of the United States approximately east of the one hundred and fourth meridian 

 the uncolored portions represent territory either from which we have no statistics, 

 such as the Indian Territory, or in which the wheat itroduction averages less than 1 

 bushel to the square mile. West of this line the Mhite portion represents territory in 

 which there is practically no wheat grown at all. The reports of the census of 1890 

 and those of the Irrigation Division of the Geological Survey have been of much help 

 in the preparation of the map. 



