198 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



the Mississippi River. This section includes the states of Kansas, Ne- 

 braska, North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. " Hard winter 

 wheat andjhard spring wheat (including Durham) arc grown in this section. 



About one-sixth of the crop is produced in the North Central states 

 east of the Mississippi River. The wheat in this section is known as the 

 soft or red winter wheat. 



About one-sixth of the wheat crop of the United States is grown in 

 the far West. This includes the irrigated districts of the Rockies and the 

 Pacific Coast wheat districts. White and red spring, and some winter 

 wheat, are grown in this section. 



All other states not in the general districts mentioned produce 

 approximately 100,000,000 bushels annually. 



Climatic and Soil Adaptation. — Wheat has a verj^ wide climatic 

 adaptation, which makes it a staple crop in many countries of the world. 

 Wheat is best adapted, however, to regions having cold winters, especially 

 cool weather during the first of the growing season. Cool weather during 

 early growth causes wheat to stool more abundantly, which generally 

 results in a larger yield. This applies to spring wheat as well as to winter 

 wheat. 



Climatic conditions, viz: rainfall, temperature, sunshine and 

 humidity, influence the milling quality of wheat to a greater degree than 

 does the type or fertility of the soil. The map, roughly dividing the 

 United States into wheat districts, shows that climatic conditions existing 

 in any section determine to a large extent the milling quality of the wheat. 



In the hard spring and hard winter wheat districts, the season is 

 comparatively hot and dry during the fruiting period, forcing earlj- ripen- 

 ing of the wheat. This results in a hard, flinty kernel, high in protein 

 and of good milling quality. The fruiting period being shortened, the 

 wheat does not have the opportunity to store as large amounts of starch 

 in the grain as it would under more favorable climatic conditions. 



Where the fruiting season is longer and more favorable, as in the 

 red winter wheat district and along the Pacific Coast, more starch is 

 stored in the grain, which results in a starchy, light-colored wheat having 

 lower milling quality. 



A proper soil for wheat is important in that it determines the yield 

 rather than milling quality. A large portion of the wheat in the United 

 States is grown on the so-called "glacial drift" soils. These soils vary 

 greatly in texture and structure, humus and plant food. The clay or 

 clay loam uplands are usually better adapted to wheat than the low- 

 lying dark-colored loamy soils. Dark-colored soils, rich in humus, are 

 better adapted to corn. Wheat grown on such soil is apt to winter-kill 

 and heave badly. The wheat grows tall and rank and may not fill out 

 properly. 



Rotations. — In parts of the Great Plains region, wheat is grown 

 in continuous culture with fair returns, because the farming operations 



