DRY-LAND GRAINS FOR NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA. 23 



Results have been secured on about fifteen varieties, including the 

 durum, the common spring, and the winter wheat of each year's crop. 

 Because of the complexity of the problem and the short period for 

 which the tests have been conducted, it seems inadvisable to present 

 the results at the present time. It is sufficient to state that in view 

 of the showing made in these tests and those previously reported, the 

 Kubanka durum wheat (G. I. Nos. 1516 and 1440) and Turkey (G. I. 

 No. 3055) and Kharkof (G. I. Xo. 1442) winter wheats can be recom- 

 mended as the best varieties for trial in the northern Great Plains. 



SUMMARY. 



The experiments of the Office of Grain Investigations show that 

 the success of the dry-land farmer will depend veiy materially upon 

 the varieties of grain he selects for his farm. 



The variety tests herein reported show that with a normal rainfall 

 durum wheat yields from 25 to 75 per cent more than the best va- 

 rieties of Bluestem and Fife. The indications are that in seasons of 

 extreme drought this difference will be much greater. The difference 

 in price need not cause apprehension on the part of the farmer. At 

 the prevailing prices a greater profit will be secured from the durum 

 wheat. 



Experiments conducted at Bellefourche and at experiment stations 

 in other sections of the Great Plains indicate that there are extensive 

 areas in the northern Great Plains where winter wheat can be suc- 

 cessfully grown. In these areas it will be a profitable crop, since it 

 yields as m'cII as durum wheat and commands a higher price on the 

 market. 



Recent investigations show that varieties differ remarkably in the 

 manner in which they withstand the winter. It would therefore be a 

 waste of time and money for the farmer to attempt to grow any but 

 the very best and hardiest varieties. 



The successful production of winter wheat seems to depend upon 

 the previous preparation of the soil. Experiments indicate that the 

 only sure way of securing a crop is to grow it on summer-fallowed 

 land. 



Investigations with oats indicate that early varieties will usually 

 produce the greatest yields. Late oats will do well in some seasons, 

 but they are less certain in unfavoraljle years. 



Two-rowed barleys have uniformly yielded the highest, and they 

 should be grown wherever there is a market for them or where the 

 farmer desires them for feed. Hull-less barleys have yielded much 

 lower than either two-rowetl or sLx-rowed varieties. 



[Cir. 59] 



