CHAPTER 4 



Wheat (Winter and Spring) 



By W. H. Dabst 

 Assistant Professor of Agronomy, Pennsylvania State College 



The crop that furnishes the bread material of a country comes a 

 little closer to the lives of the people than any other. In nearly all coun- 

 tries of the world wheat holds the first place as a bread crop, and for that 

 reason deserves most careful attention. 



The United States, with its rapidly increasing population, especially 

 in the cities, and its constantly increasing demand for breadstuffs, may 

 very soon find it necessary to import wheat. Under existing conditions 

 the price of wheat must increase rather than decrease, and there will be 

 more and more inducement for the farmer to increase his production. 



The world's annual production of wheat for the three pre-war years 

 1912-14 was approximately 3,882,255,000 bushels. The six leading 

 countries in production and in average acre yield were as follows: 



It is an interesting fact that the two largest producing countries 

 have the lowest acre yields. At one time these European countries had 

 average yields very similar to our own. By years of systematic applica- 

 tion of best known methods of production, the yields of these countries 

 have increased enormously. 



The climatic and soil conditions of some European countries are 

 more favorable to the production of wheat than those in the United 

 States. In European countries, also, the labor proposition is not so serious 

 as it is in this country; consequently, they can afford to spend more time 

 on their wheat crop. 



Wheat Production in United States. — About one-half the wheat 

 crop of the United States is produced in the North Central states west of 



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