BULLETIN 1039, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table IX. — Yields of Kubanka durnm spring reheat groim in rate-of-seeding 

 experiments on dry land on the Belle Foiirche Experiment Farm in 1909, 

 1910, and 1913 to 1917. inclusive. 





Yields per acre (bushels). 



Rate of seeding per acre. 



1909 



1910 



1913 



1914 



1915 



1916 



1917 



Average. 





1909 to 

 1917 



1913 to 

 1917 





12.5 



5.5 





















9.3 

 9.8 

 10.4 

 9.9 

 10.3 

 10.6 



2.2 

 2.0 

 2.3 

 2.0 

 2.0 

 1.9 



61.6 

 60.1 

 61.4 

 59.2 

 57.4 



11.2 

 10.7 

 11.2 

 10.9 

 11.5 



12.4 

 12.4 

 11.6 

 12.3 

 12.4 



"'ih'.i' 



16.6 

 16.2 



19.3 



4 pecks ... 



14.4 

 16.8 

 17.2 



5. 5 



2.8 

 1.8 



19.0 



6 pecks 



19.4 



6 pecks 



18.9 





18.7 





17.9 



3.4 













1 





Several interesting facts are brought out by the data shown in 

 Table IX: (1) The net yields were not increased by sowing at a 

 rate in excess of 3 pecks per acre; (2) thin seeding will not ma- 

 terially increase the yields nor prevent failure in dry seasons; and 

 (3) thick seeding reduced the yields only slightly below those of the 

 medium and thin seedings. 



It has commonly been assumed that durum wheat should be sown 

 at the rate of 4 to 5 pecks per acre on dry land, as compared with 

 3 pecks of common wheat, because of the large size of the durum 

 kernels and also because durum wheat tillers less freely than com- 

 mon wheat. Api^arently this is offset b}^ other characters of durum 

 Avheat, such as the large size of spikes and kernels produced. The 

 above experiment was always conducted on well-prepared land. On 

 a rough seed bed a higher rate of seeding than 3 pecks per acre 

 might be necessary. The slight differences in yield shown above 

 from the different rates of seeding are not significant. 



In Table X are shown the average number of days from emergence 

 to maturity, the average height, weight per bushel, and yields of 

 grain and straw of the wheat sown at each rate during the period 

 from 1913 to 1917, inclusive. The average stands recorded during 

 the years 1915 to 1917, inclusive, in thousands of plants per acre, 

 also are shown. 



The proportion of straw to grain was slightly higher in the plats 

 sown at the higher rates. The plats sown at 3 pecks per acre ma- 

 tured about one day later than the others. In most years it was 

 observed that the plats sown at the higher rates matured first, but 

 this was not true in all seasons. The wheat from the plats sown at 

 6 and 7 pecks per acre was an inch shorter than that on the other 

 plats. The weight per bushel of the grain from the thicker sown 

 plats is slightly less than from the plats sown at 3 to 4 pecks per 

 acre. 



