13 



SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS AND NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT. 



(1) Chief varieties now grown: 



Fultz, Fulcaster, 



Early Genesee Giant, Longberry, 



Jones's Winter Fife, Mediterranean, 



Eed Wonder, Early Red Clawson, 



Gold Coin, ' Blue Stem. 



(2) Average yield per acre, about 14| bushels.' 



(3) Needs of the grower: 



(a) Harder-grained, more glutinous varieties. 



(b) Hardier winter varieties for the most northern portions. 



(c) Early maturity. 



(d) Rust resistance. 



SEMIHARD WINTER WHEAT DISTRICT. 



Ill this district we may include Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, 

 and a small part of Wisconsin. It produces a wheat of medium 

 qualit}^, and on the whole is one of the most important cereal regions 

 of the United States. The wheats grown are generally semihard, 

 rather reddish in color, and either bald or bearded. Throughout this 

 district, as well as over a large portion of the country, there has been 

 a decided tendency during the last twenty years or more toward the 

 use of harder red wheats and also of a larger proportion of winter 

 compared with spring varieties. The increasing use of the harder 

 wheats has been coincident with the advent of the roller-milling proc- 

 ess, but not necessarily a forced result of the latter, as some have 

 inferred. The two have worked together. The proportion of such 

 wheats now grown in this region is nuich larger than ten years ago. 

 Especially is this true in Michigan, where special impetus has been 

 given to such improvements through the efforts of Prof. R. C. Kedzie, 

 assisted by the millers of the State. Similarly the area in which it 

 is considered possible to grow winter wheats has been extended much 

 farther noi'thward, now including practically all of Michigan, nearly 

 all of Illinois, and even a small portion of AVisconsin. Thus this 

 group of States may now be properly called the semihard winter 

 wheat district. These changes have been accomplished by the grad- 

 ual introduction of hardier winter sorts, which are at the same time 

 usually harder and red grained. Nevertheless there has been little 

 more than a beginning in these improvements, and there is still a 

 demand for hard red wheats, and in the northern portion of the 

 roo-jon for hni'dicr winter varieties. 



The black stem rust is sometimes very d(>structive in these States, 

 particularly in the lower, moist, and timbered portions of Ohio, 

 Indiana, and Michigan. Hence there is great demand also for rust 

 resistant sorts. 



'Calculated ai^ accurately as possible from data collected by the Division of Statia- 

 tics of this L)ei)artmeut covering the perioil IS'.IO-lHUy. 



