WHEAT 69 



acre. This is representative of Districts 2 and 3 that produce one-half of 

 the wheat grown in the United States. The average acre yield in the 

 United States is 14.8 bushels. It will be seen that there is little profit 

 in raising less than 15 bushels to the acre. 



Enemies of Wheat: Weeds, Insects and Fungous Diseases. — Weeds, 

 common in wheat fields, are not, as a rule, difficult to eradicate. Weeds 

 damage wheat by reducing the yield and by injuring the milling quality 

 of the grain. The weeds most objectionable in wheat are garlic, cockle, 

 cheat or chess, wild oats and wild mustard. These are usually controlled 

 by proper cleaning of the seed wheat, by carefully preparing the seed-bed 

 and by a suitable rotation of crops. 



Insects. — The Hessian fly and chinch bug are probably the most 

 destructive of wheat insects. The methods of control are preventive for 

 the most part. The burning over of stubble land any time from harvest 

 to the middle of August will destroy many of the Hessian flies and chinch 

 bugs. The planting of trap crops also will aid in reducing Hessian fly 

 trouble. A strip of wheat sown early in August will induce the fly to lay 

 eggs. This wheat should be carefully plowed down after the first frost, 

 so as to destroy the fly. Often an early strip of wheat may be plowed 

 down in time for proper preparation and reseeding. 



A stinging frost will kill the adult Hessian fly. If the season is not 

 too backward it is well to delay seeding of wheat until this time. How- 

 ever, wheat should be seeded early enough to become rooted before winter 

 sets in. 



A patch of millet sown early in the spring will attract many of the 

 chinch bugs, thus keeping them out of the wheat and corn. 



The common insects of the granary are the granary weevil (Colandra 

 granaria) and the Angoumois moth (Sitotroga cerealella). Both these 

 insects multiply rapidly and should be attended to at once. 



Used granaries should always be cleaned thoroughly before the new 

 wheat is stored. Granaries should be repaired when needed so as to make 

 the sides and floor as tight as possible. 



Fumigation should be resorted to when insects first appear. Carbon 

 bisulphide is a very effective chemical to use in a good tight granary. 

 One and one-half pints to one ton of grain, or 1000 cu. ft. of space, is the 

 recommended amount to use. The liquid should be poured into shallow 

 pans and placed over the wheat. For the best results fumigation should 

 be repeated in two weeks' time. Hydrocyanic acid gas is used in elevators 

 and mills, but would be very dangerous in the ordinary barn where live- 

 stock is housed. 



Fungous Diseases. — Rust and smut are perhaps the most destructive 

 among wheat diseases. There is no known remedy for rust other than 

 the growing and breeding of rust-resistant varieties of wheat. Stinking 

 smut may destroy as much as 10 per cent of the total wheat crop of the 

 United States. It does not change the general appearance of the wheat 



