1918.] FIELD CROPS. 839 



but the southern part of this large area. No spring wheats do well in the south- 

 ern part of the Great Plains. Wherever the hard red winter wheats of the Crimean 

 group can be grown conuuercially they are better yielders than any spring 

 wheat. In the higher and drier parts of the plains of Colorado and Wyoming 

 and In central South Dakota their advantage is very small. In the central and 

 northern parts of this area, wherever spring wheat is commercially important, 

 durum exceeds spring common wheat in yield almost without exception. 

 Usually this is by a large margin, of 10 to 30 per cent, but occasionally by as 

 little as 5 per cent. 



" Of all the varieties of durum wheat tested in this area, the Kubanka is best 

 adapted to all the varying conditions. It is most suitable for central and west- 

 ern North and South Dakota and eastern Montana, at altitudes ranging from 

 1,800 to 4,000 ft. The Arnautka is slightly better adapted to the more humid 

 eastern part of the Northern Plains with altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 ft. 

 The Pelissier is a better yielder in the western and drier sections at altitudes 

 of 4.000 to G,000 ft. 



"A number of pure-line selections of durum wheat are proving better adapted 

 to the local conditions where they were developed than are the older standard 

 varieties. Three which differ appreciably from the standard varieties from 

 which they were selected have been named. Five of these races appear to be 

 of sufficient value to be tested under a wide range of conditions. They are as fol- 

 lows : Acme (C. I. No. 5284), a selection from Kubanka (C. I. No. 1516) made at 

 Highmore, S. Dak.; Arnautka (C. I. No. 40G4), a selection from Arnautka (C. I. 

 No. 1494) made at Akron, Colo. ; Monad (C. I. No. 3320), -a selection made from a 

 field in Russia but tested at Dickinson, N. Dak. ; Buford (C. I. No. .5295), a selec- 

 tion from Taganrog {C. I. No. 1570) made at Willistoii, N. Dak. ; Kul)anka No. 8 

 (C. I. No. 4063), a selection from Kabanka (C. I. No. 1440) made at Dickinson, 

 N. Dak. Of these five, Acme and Monad are very rust resistant." 



A study of the data from the six stations located in the arid basin and coastal 

 areas indicates that " except for the Crimean group of winter wheats, the 

 standard varieties of the western areas differ from those of the Great Plains 

 and Prairie States. In these areas the better yields have been obtained from 

 hard red winter wheats of the Crimean group or from some variety of soft white 

 wheat." 



A bibliography of 99 titles is appended. 



Cost of harvesting- wheat by different methods, A. P. Yerkes and L. M. 

 Chitrch {U. S. Dcpt. Agr. Bui. 627 (1918), pp. 22, pis. 2).— Summarized data 

 are presented and fully discussed regarding the present cost of harvesting 

 wheat in the United States with binders, headers, and combines, and of shock- 

 ing and stacking wheat, as compared with harvesting by hand, as formerly 

 practiced. The ol)servations are based on a large quantity of statistics relative 

 to operating expenses, including man and horse labor ; original cost of the 

 apparatus ; repair, interest, and depreciation charges ; and the cost of twine. 

 Various other factors entering into consideration are the topography and size 

 of the fields, the area covered by the various pieces of apparatus studied, the 

 character of the soil, the yield of gi-ain and straw, the climatic conditions, etc. 



" The cost of harvesting wheat at the present time varies widely in different 

 sections of the country largely because of the different methods employed in 

 these operations. In most cases the particular manner in which the crop is 

 handled is inllueneed by climatic conditions and the requirements of the 

 cropping system followed, as well as by the character of the wheat itself. 

 The various methods followed throughout the country, therefore, generally are 

 those which have been found to be well adapted to the particular conditions 

 65162°— 18 4 



