784 



THE IERIGATION AGE. 



poses, the Macaroni, Polish, artd Egyptian wheats are 

 valuable drouth resistant kinds. As yet there is only one 

 variety of winter wheat which can be recommended for 

 general planting. This is Turkey Red, which is a fine 

 milling wheat, and succeeds under both systems of dry 

 farming and irrigation. Karkof winter wheat is being 

 tried and so far all reports are most favorable. The 

 Silver King, which is a beardless winter wheat, has suc- 

 ceeded fairly well in some sections of the West. 



Seed wheat should be plump, heavy, true to type, 

 clean, free from weed seeds or other grain, and treated 

 for smut. (See Chap. 18.) The average amount of seed 

 to use per acre on irrigated farms is about seventy pounds. 

 Of the larger standard kinds, like Macaroni or Polish 

 wheat, ninety to one hundred pounds may be used, and 

 for dry farming, thirty to forty pounds of seed per acre. 

 These figures are good average amounts to use if sown 

 with a press drill. If necessary to sow broadcast a third 

 more of seed should be used. On rich lands with rota- 

 tion and irrigation, only thirty pounds of seed per acre of 

 spring wheat gives maximum yields. 



The time to sow wheat is as early in the spring as 

 the ground can be prepared and when danger of hard 

 freezing of the soil is past. The seed should be drilled 

 two or three inches deep. Winter wheat may be sown 

 any time in September if the ground is moist and the 

 seed bed well prepared. If the land slopes so much that 

 it washes badly, the drill should be along the hill in- 

 stead of straight up and down it. so the growing plants 

 will check the force of water. 



There should be sufficient moisture in the soil to se- 

 cure seed germination and to supply the plants until they 

 become well established. If the ground is dry and there 

 is not sufficient spring rain, the land should be irrigated 

 befo'.e the wheat is planted. The plants should not be 

 allowed to suffer for water, but on the other hand, it is 

 better not to irrigate them until they are five or six 

 inches high or large enough to partially shade the ground. 

 Short, quick irrigations, which soak the ground pretty well 

 are better than allowing the water to run too long. Gen- 

 erally, irrigation should be given when the plants begin 

 to shoot, that is, when the first stems begin to be thrown 

 up. Another irrigation should be given after the heads 

 are formed to insure large heads and filling of the grain. 

 If the weather is very dry and hot, care must be taken 

 with late irrigations of wheat, because if kept too wet at 

 this time it might induce rust to cause considerable dam- 

 age. Where the straw is badly rusted it seldom produces 

 plump wheat and if rust is present it is probably better 

 to keep the water off. Some farmers in the southwest 

 believe that the shattering of the grain may be largely 

 prevented by giving late irrigation. This is true because 

 the grain does not get so ripe. In many cases late irri- 

 gation may result in damage by frost. 



Wheat should be harvested before it gets too ripe. 

 Experience indicates that the best results are obtained by 

 cutting wheat in the last part of the dough stage. Such 

 grain usually ripens in the straw and makes heavier seed. 

 Harvesting early prevents loss by shattering. East of 

 the mountains it is well to allow the bundles to stand 

 in the shock for some time to go through the sweat and 

 dry out before stacking. 



If properly fed wheat has been shown equal to corn 

 for fattening stock. Some successful feeders in the 

 West head their wheat and feed it to stock without 

 threshing. This is one of the best methods of feeding 

 wheat, as it is not so apt to throw animals "off feed." 

 as giving them the cleaned grain. Some of the beard- 

 less wheats may be fed in the bundle. Bearded sorts 

 will need to be threshed. 



Rye is not appreciated as it should be. In the West, 

 rye is not raised to any extent for the production of 

 flour. There is some prejudice against rye as stock food. 

 There is, perhaps, no more valuable grain for the feed- 

 ing of swine than rye and it should be more generally 

 raised for this purpose. Rye hay is of much value in 

 some sections. When raised for hay it should be planted 

 thick and cut when in the milk or early dough stage. 

 The winter rye is one of our most hardy grains and one 

 of the most important ones for the dry farmer. It suc- 

 ceeds in almost any part of the arid region, and on new 

 dry farm lands produces over forty bushels per acre as 

 a maximum crop. Rye sometimes lives several years and 



produces a number of crops with one planting if cut in its 

 early stages.- 



Rye may be planted early in the fall, the last of 

 August or any time during September, and the young 

 growth may be used for pasturing stock either in late 

 fall or early spiing. The ground should be well filled with 

 moisture before the rye is planted, but this crop will 

 stand winter drouth and cold. It should be harrowed 

 one or more times in the spring and if water can be had 

 for irrigation and there is not abundant : ainfall, it should 

 be irrigated about twice. The first irrigation should be a 

 thorough soaking when the rye is in the "boot" or be- 

 gins to "shoot.' The last irrigation may be given when 

 the rye is in the early dough stage to fill it and make 

 an abundant crop. Rye will grow on poorer soils than 

 any other grain, and even under most adverse condi- 

 tions will give some kind of crop. As yet there are no 

 improved varieties of rye on 9Ur markets. This grain 

 has been bred to great perfection in parts of Germany, 

 where single farmers have devoted years to grading and 

 adapting special strains of rye for their localities and 

 soils. 



De Candolle believes that Spelt was the corn, par 

 excellence of Pliny, which he said was used as food by 

 the Latins for 360 years before they knew how to make 

 bread. It has been cultivated principally in Germany, 

 where it is called Spelz or Dinkel. Spelt, or Emmer, is 

 one of the primitive forms of wheat, but resembles barley 

 in character, as it is bearded and the grain is held tightly 

 in the chaff, little or none of it shelling out when it is 

 threshed. Spelt is receiving much attention in this coun- 

 try as stock food. Much is being claimed for it as a 

 drouth-resistant grain. The North "Dakota Experiment 

 Station reported that Spelt produced heavy yields, es- 

 pecially good results being obtained with home grown 

 seed. 



Analyses made at the South Dakota Experiment Sta- 

 tion shows a composition resembling that of barley. The 

 spring spelt should yield from twenty-five to seventy- 

 five bushels threshed grain per acre. A new spelt has 

 been introduced and is being increased and improved, by 

 breeding, in Wyoming. This is called Black Winter 

 Emmer and differs from the ordinary spelt in its season 

 of growth, color, hardiness and yielding quality. It is 

 a winter grain of great importance, as winter grains are 

 more valuable to the dry farmer. 



In Dakota it has been found that spelt fed to steers 

 produced as good quality of meat as corn. It took one 

 and one-fourth pounds of spelt to equal one pound of 

 corn in steer feeding. In feeding beef during a grass 

 period, however, it took only 5.16 pounds of spelt for 

 one pound of gain and at the same time it took 7.03 

 pounds of corn for one pound of gain. With baby beef 

 feeding it took 1.84 pounds of spelt to 1.69 pounds corn. 

 to produce one pound of gain. 



In my own experiments with lamb feeding in Colorado 

 a high value was shown for spelt. The lambs eating spelt 

 consumed more of both grain and alfalfa hay than those 

 which were fed corn. 



The following tables give a brief statement of the 

 results: 



LAMB FEEDING TRIALS. 



Amt. of feed eaten. Grain eaten for 1 Ib. 



Grain Alfalfa Gain 



Feed. pounds pounds pounds 



Spelt 430 889 3.03 



Corn 402 803 3.09 



Barley 402 888 3.43 



THE GAINS AND COST OF GAIN. 



Gain of Gain of Cost per 



Wool Meat Total gain Ib. of gain 



pounds pounds pounds cents 



Spelt 15 127 142 4.28 



Corn 17 113 130 5.25 



Barley 20 97 117 4.95 



These experiments show a high feeding value for 

 spelt. When we consider that spelt will yield from a 

 third more to twice as much as corn; that it is a drouth- 

 resistant grain, and that it is better suited to a cool 

 climate or one with cool nights than corn, its value in 

 the arid region becomes apparent. 



