CEREAL EXPERIMENTS AT THE WILLISTON SUBSTATION. 



21 



It will be seen that in none of the years was there any significant 

 difference between the results from the seedings at 4, 5, and 6 pecks. 

 The results from the 3-peck seeding are sufficiently lower to show 

 that 3 pecks is not enough. Since the 4-peck rate gives as good re- 

 sults as the sowing of 5 or 6 pecks and requires less seed per acre, it 

 should be considered the proper rate. The general practice of the 

 farmers in the vicinity of Williston is to sow 4 pecks to the acre. 



In each of the years the plat on which the 3-peck rate was seeded 

 was more weedy throughout the season than the plats where the higher 

 rates were used. Owing to the thinner stand of wheat plants in the 

 3-peck rate, the time from planting to maturity was several days longer 

 each year. The bushel weight of the grain also was less. The average 

 weights per bushel of grain were 56, 55|, 55, and 53^ pounds from 

 the sowings at 6, 5, 4, and 3 pecks, respectively. 



NURSERY TESTS OF SPRING WHEAT. 



Table X presents certain nursery data for 84 races in the different 

 groups of wheat. These were grown in the 17^-foot rows, planted 

 each year with the planter that placed 210 seeds 1 inch apart in the 

 row. These data are averages for the two years, 1912 and 1913. 

 The same races were used in each of the two years. 



The season of 1912 was a very good one for crop production. The 

 rainfall was above normal for the growing period, April to July, in- 

 clusive. The season of 1913 was the reverse of 1912. It was exceed- 

 ingly dry until the latter part of June, and the rainfall from April to 

 July, inclusive, was considerably below normal. 



Table X. — Average of miscellaneous data for 84 different races of toheat grown in rod 

 rmi s at the Williston substation during 1912 and 1913. 



Group and de cripl ion. 



Durum : 

 Bmool d glumes 



Han 



i die , group: 



Bmool ii glume 



LI airy glumes 



group: 

 Bmool h glume 



Num- 

 ber of 

 races. 



Days 

 to ma- 

 turity. 



106 

 105 



101 

 104 



Height. 



Inches. 



32.7 

 30. 1 



Length 



of 

 heads. 



Inches. 



2.49 



2.154 



3.55 

 3.37 



Stools 



per 

 plant. 



4.29 

 4.40 



Heads 



per 

 plant. 



Weight 



of 



1,000 



kernels. 



3.40 

 3.71 



4. 45 

 4. '12 



Grams. 

 41.8 

 49. 3 



30. 7 

 26.5 



Yield per row. 



Straw. Grain 



Gravis. 

 477 

 466 



519 



553 



Grams. 

 311.0 

 274.1 



312.1 

 306. 



In the durum races, as shown by Table X, there were 30 with 

 glabrous and '.i with pubescent glumes. Those with smooth glumes, 

 which include the races of Kubanka aud Araautka, produced the best 

 average yield of grain, ->\ I grams, compared with 274.1 grains per row 



from the pubescenl glumed Paces. The straw also was longer and 



heavier and the heads Longer. The number of tillers, the length of 

 heads, and the kernel weighl were lower in the smooth-glumed than in 

 t In linn', glumed race , 



