10 BULLETIN 39, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



quantity to pay for harvesting in 1911 and 1912, and for that reason 

 the small yields obtained are not reported. Notwithstanding these 

 two seasons of total failure, the production of wheat has been profit- 

 able for the period as a whole. The highest average yield, as at 

 Brookings, was produced by a durum variety, the Kubanka (C. I. 

 No. 1516) leading with 17.7 bushels to the acre. The highest yielding 

 common wheat was the Red Fife, with 12.5 bushels, closely followed 

 by the Haynes Bluestems, Minnesota Nos. 51 and 1G9. The average 

 yield of six varieties of durum wheat for the 8 years was 16 bushels 

 to the acre, while that of eight varieties of common wheat was 11.5 

 bushels. 



For the stations at Eureka and Cottonwood the yields of three 

 representative varieties for the four years from 1909 to 1912 are 

 given. The highest average yield at Eureka was produced by the 

 Kubanka durum, 8.3 bushels to the acre, while at Cottonwood the 

 bearded common wheat, Red Fife, has yielded best, 3.3 bushels. 



During the 4-year period 1909 to 1912 wheat has been produced at 

 an average loss of about 43 per cent of the cost of production at 

 Eureka and of about 77 per cent at Cottonwood. These results are 

 similar to those generally obtained during this period in the portions 

 of the State where these stations are located. At Highmore wheat 

 has been produced at an average loss of 38 per cent during this 

 same period, but for the 8-year period 1905 to 1912 an average profit 

 of 29 per cent has been obtained from the production of wheat of the 

 varieties reported in Table III. This bears out the conclusion that 

 the farmer in the semiarid portion of South Dakota can produce 

 wheat profitably in a long period of years, but that for short periods 

 he is likely to lose. In practice this would mean that wheat growing 

 in that area should be considered as but one part of the business of 

 the farm rather than its main dependence. 



In figure 2 the yields of some of the leading varieties of wheat are 

 shown graphically. It will be noted that the same varieties that 

 have done well at Brookings have also given good results at High- 

 more, but that the relative position of the two strains of Kubanka, 

 C. I. No. 1440 (S. Dak. No. 75) and C. I. No. 1516 (S. Dak. No. 73), 

 is reversed, and that the Red Fife, C. I. No. 3081 (S. Dak. No. 67), 

 is a much closer competitor of the Kubanka at Brookings than at 

 Highmore. In each case the averages are in favor of the early.- 

 maturiug bearded varieties. 



In this diagram the average yields obtained are represented by 

 solid horizontal lines. These are cut at the 10-bushel mark by a 

 vertical line, the 10-bushel yield to the left of this line being esti- 

 mated as equal to the average cost of production. That portion of 

 the yield line extending to the right of the vertical line represents 



