FOR BETTER CROPS IN THE SOUTH 49 



for oat cultivation. The date of seeding wheat, however, should 

 be somewhat later than that of sowing winter oats, partly 

 because wheat is a hardier crop, but also because of the attacks 

 of the Hessian fly. As the Hessian fly is killed by frost a good 

 practice is to sow after the first killing frost. In the Cotton 

 Belt the time of seeding would run from about October 1 to 

 November 10, or an average date of about November 1, though 

 wheat is sometimes sown as late as the last week of Novem- 

 ber or the first of December. In the northern district the date 

 should be from October 20 to November 1, or an average date 

 of about October 25. In the mountainous districts, seeding 

 should be a little earlier than nearer the coast. 



The proper rate of seeding for wheat may vary from one 

 to one and one-half bushels per acre. An average rate for good 

 well-cleaned seed, sown with a drill, should be about five pecks 

 to the acre. 



Winter-killing and Pasturing— Wheat being a hardier crop 

 than winter oats there is less danger that it will be winter-killed. 

 Care should be exercised, however, in pasturing wheat. The 

 ground should not be soft when the stock is turned on and the 

 wheat should not be pastured close. 



Diseases — Concerning wheat diseases the same remarks may 

 be made with reference to rust that apply to oats. There is no 

 remedy or preventive, but there is a chance for improvement in 

 the way of selecting more rust-resistant strains. The common 

 smut of wheat, known as stinking smut, can be easily and thor- 

 oughly prevented by either the hot water or formalin treatment. 

 Instructions as to the use of these methods are given in Farmers' 

 Bulletin No. 250, entitled "The Prevention of Stinking Smut 

 of Wheat and Loose Smut of Oats." 



The importance of treating both wheat and oats for smut 

 cannot be too much emphasized. Often crops are destroyed to 

 the extent of 10 to 40 per cent by these diseases and yet any loss 

 at all can be readily prevented. 



Seed Selection of Small Grains — In the case of any of the 

 small grains it is of the greatest importance that farmers should 

 use each year a high quality of seed. This can be accomplished 

 only by keeping the crop pure from other varieties, and, by the 

 use of the fanning mill, selecting the heaviest and largest ker- 

 nels. Other cereals should not be allowed by careless methods 

 in threshing or through any other means to become mixed with 

 the crop that is being grown. If this should occur, however, 

 the seed of different cereals may often be separated by what is 

 known as the " specific gravity method." This is described in 

 Bureau of Plant Industry Circular No. 62, entitled "The Sep- 

 aration of Seed Barley by the Specific Gravity Method," and is 



