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DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



DRY LAND GRAINS. 



(Wm. M. Jardine.) 



Delegates of the Convention: Mr. Chilcott told you right in saying to 

 you this morning, that Government men were usually long-winded when 

 they had an opportunity of speaking. After having listened to Mr. Chilcott's 

 paper and after you have listened to me you will know that he told you the 

 truth. The subject that I am about to discuss, that of dry land grains, is 

 a very broad one, as you all know, comprising, as it does, many different 

 crops and many different varieties of each crop, every one of which is of 

 vital importance to complete development of our dry lands. They are vital 

 because the grain crops form the basis of our cropping system on the dry 

 land areas. You all know, for instance, that the first crop you think of 

 on the dry land is wheat. We are thinking altogether too much of wheat; 

 but nevertheless it is always going to be the main crop, the money crop, 

 and that, after all, is what we have to look for on the dry land. Hence it 

 is vital, and cannot be discussed other than in a general way in a very 

 short paper. 



I have only touched on some of the points I think worthy of bringing 

 before the convention. Before beginning my paper, which I will have to 

 read, since this subject is so broad and general, I wish to say a little about 

 what we are doing in the Government in the way of improving the cereals 

 of the land. 



Mr. Chilcott told you what the Department of Agriculture, the Office 

 of Grain Investigation has done in the Great Plains area, in connection 

 with the series of stations established there for dry land agricultural demon- 

 strations. In addition to the work of these farms we have independent 

 stations organized under our office for the production, improvement and 

 development, through individual plant selection, through the introduction 

 -*i seed selection, and through breeding thus improving the varieties we 

 already have and varieties we bring to this country, and finding those 

 best adapted to our dry conditions. 



We have one in your own state here, in Utah, in co-operation with 

 the State Experiment Station. The State Experiment Station is carrying 

 on the work of thorough tillage, the rotation of crops; and the office 

 of Grain Investigation is co-operating with the state in demonstrating 

 and in finding out what grains are best suited for the conditions in Utah, 

 continuing the work already started by the state. We have a man who 

 is a graduate of your own institution here, the Agricultural College of 

 Utah, and the son of one of the noted dry farmers of the state, George 

 L. Farrell, in charge of this work. It has just started. It is going to 

 be conducive of a great deal of good. We hope to see more stations 

 established for the intermountain area as they have been in the Great 

 Plains area. You will remember Mr. Chilcott is operating in the Great 

 Plains alone. We hope to see in the future, and the near future, more 

 stations for the intermountain states. They need them. 



