514 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



quired, and would simply be wasteful. The seed should always be 

 drilled, and at about the same rate per acre as for oats. It is of the 

 greatest importance to sow early. The grain will stand a great deal 

 of spring frost. 



Trials by Farmers. Winter emmer has not yet been given a 

 very wide distribution. Nevertheless, a number of farmers have had 

 opportunity to grow it, and wherever careful attention has been 

 given and the winters are not particularly severe results have usually 

 been good. George W. Oster, of Osterburg, Pa., grew winter emmer 

 in 1908-9 and obtained a yield of 45 bushels per acre. No rust, smut, 

 or insects of any kind affected the crop. R. T. Bennett, of Wades- 

 boro, N. C., obtained a yield of about 25 bushels per acre in 1907, 

 when wheat on the same farm yielded 12 bushels per acre. In that 

 locality, of course, winter emmer is winter proof. Mr. Bennett made 

 the comment that "stock prefer the emmer to oats and no weather is 

 too frosty for it." A. L. Dunlap. of Lupton, Mich., obtained a yield 

 of 12 bushels per acre in 1910, when the preceding fall from seeding 

 time until winter was very dry. He states that the crop is "very 

 good; better than oats." It weighed 40 pounds per bushel. D. L. 

 Davis, of Zenia, Cal., grew winter emmer during the year 1909-10, 

 sowing broadcast at the rate of 70 pounds per acre. A yield of 31 

 bushels per acre was obtained. Mr. Davis remarks in a report that "it 

 is a great drought resister. It stood the drought equal to rye. It is 

 the surest crop I have found in eight years' trial of grain here. The 

 straw is soft. It fills well, stands up good, and yields better than bar- 

 ley or rye." In February, 1911, Mr. Davis wrote : "I have sold every 

 bit of tne emmer. I have not even a sample on hand. The people 

 come for 25 miles for seed." 



As showing the adaptation of this crop to dry districts it is in- 

 teresting to report that S. A. Figart, of Johnson, Stanton County, 

 Kans., in the extreme southwestern part of the State, obtained a 

 yield of 60 bushels per acre in the summer of 1907 from a seed- 

 ing of only half a bushel per acre. The crop was drilled and was 

 no doubt given good attention in other respects. The same season 

 the other crops of Mr. Figart yielded as follows : Corn, 30 bushels ; 

 wheat, 5 bushels; white spelt (true spelt, no emmer), 15 bushels. 

 It should be remarked that a crop of this kind giving such yields is 

 of the greatest importance in this district, where the conditions 

 are such that stock raising must be practiced to a large extent, 

 and emmer has already proved to be an excellent stock feed, easily 

 taking the place of barley, rye or oats. 



In Germany, Russia, and other southeastern countries of Eu- 

 rope emmer is often used as human food. In Russia such use is 

 chiefly in the form of breakfast foods. In other countries it is used 

 to a considerable extent in bread making. In the United States 

 emmer is not yet used for human food, but it may be so used before 

 many years, as it is known to furnish an excellent breakfast food. 



Emmer has usually been found a fairly good food for stock, 

 though in some cases barley or oats appear to be better. To decide 

 accurately between emmer and the other crops, however, one must 



