FOR BETTER CROPS IN THE SOUTH 47 



One considerable advantage in the treatment of seed for 

 prevention of smut, aside from getting rid of the smut itself, 

 is the increased power of germination. Occasionally the ger- 

 minating power of the seed is increased ten per cent, by the 

 hot- water treatment. 



WHEAT— Though wheat is not, like oats, usually employed 

 as a food for stock, the good price it always commands in the 

 South and the importance of producing sufficient wheat for 

 home consumption, in addition to its desirability in a series of 

 rotations, are good reasons for considering this crop an impor- 

 tant one. 



Varieties — Among the principal varieties of wheat grown 



A wheat field in Tennessee 



in the South are the Blue Stem, Red May, Fultz, Fulcaster, 

 and Poole. Throughout the Cotton Belt by far the most com- 

 mon is the Blue Stem, a beardless variety with a bluish or pur- 

 plish straw. It is also often called Purple Straw. North of the 

 Cotton Belt, this variety is not commonly grown, but is there 

 replaced by the Fulcaster, Poole, Fultz and others. The Poole 

 and Fultz are also beardless varieties and good standard wheats. 

 The Red May is beardless and rather early in ripening. The 

 Fulcaster is a bearded wheat and one of the best varieties east 

 of the Mississippi river, but apparently not so well adapted to 

 Southern conditions as to the North. 



Soil— The soil for wheat, as for oats, should be some kind 

 of clay loam with considerable organic matter, and not acid. 

 The application of lime to wheat soils is probably always an 



