DRY-LAND AGRICULTURE 251 



adapted to arid conditions. Both spring and winter wheats are 

 grown, the latter being much more desirable where the climate is 

 suitable. Spring wheats are grown largely from Nebraska north 

 through the Dakotas because of the severe winters. Two varieties 

 of spring wheat are grown, the common spring wheat and the 

 Durum or Macaroni. The latter was introduced from Russia and 

 has proved to be an excellent variety. The semi-hard winter wheats 

 are grown over extensive areas, the most hardy varieties being 

 Turkey Red, Kharkof and Crimean, all originating in semi-arid 

 Russia. 



The yield of wheat on the dry farm is of a great deal of conse- 

 quence because it is the chief money crop. Winter wheat yields 

 better than spring wheat. It usually pays to grow either on summer 

 tilled land. In the dry-farm experiments in Montana the average 

 yield of Turkey Red was 37.7 bushels per acre, while the spring 

 wheat, Kubanka, was 18.4 bushels, or ahout half as much. In 

 Utah Turkey Red produced 28.1 bushels, while the best spring 

 wheat for the same years produced 14.6 bushels per acre. 



(b) Oats are beginning to be recognized as a good dry-land 

 crop, either for hay or grain. Of the spring varieties the Sixty Day 

 has proved to be best, principally because it ripens two weeks earlier 

 than other varieties. A winter variety, the Boswell, that has been 

 tried in Utah, promises well. Tn 1907 and 1908 Sixty Day oats 

 yielded 42.3 bushels per acre, while the Boswell gave 40.1 bushels. 

 At the Montana Station the yield of Sixty Day was 37. (i bushels. 



(c) Rye is one of the best dry-land grains. It resists drouth 

 better than almost any other cereal. The fall rye at Montana 

 yielded 28.5 bushels per acre. The most serious objection to it is 

 its persistence in the field after once seeded. It may be used to 

 good advantage as a green manure. 



(d) Barley is one of the cereals well adapted to dry-land if 

 seeded very early in the spring so that it gets a good start before the 

 dry, hot weather begins. The hulless varieties seem to do best. Tn 

 Montana as an average of all tests on different fields the yield of 

 the White Hulless was 17.8 bushels per acre, while the California 

 yielded one bushel more. Tn Xorth Dakota an average of 23.8 

 bushels was obtained. One winter variety has been grown. 



(e) Corn has not been grown very extensively on dry -land 

 farms because it is not well adapted to the temperature condi- 

 tions found in arid regions. Corn does best where the nights 

 are warm, and in arid regions the radiation is so great as to lower 



