In Cooperation with the 
Oregon, Washington, and Utah Agricultural Experiment Stations 
|| UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE | 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1173 
Washington, D. C. Vv September, 1923 
fg EXPERIMENTS IN WHEAT PRODUCTION ON THE DRY LANDS OF THE 
a WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
By Davin E. Srepuens, Superintendent, Sherman County Branch Station, Moro, 
— Oreg., and Agronomist, Office of Cereal Investigations; Max A. McCatu, Superintendent, 
Adams Branch Station, Lind, Wash., and formerly Agent. Office of Cereal Investiga- 
tions; and AARON F. Bracken, Superintendent, Nephi Substation, Nephi, Utah, 
= formerly Scientific Assistant, Office of Cereal Investigations, Bureau of Plant 
Industry. 
CONTENTS. 
e- Page. | Page 
| Importance of wheat in the far West........-.- 1 | Tillage experiments—Continued. 
RIE emer es. st Egat checee esse 6 Harrowing the growing crop.............-. 44 
20, UD RS ee 7 Rate-and-date-of-seeding experiments.-....... 46 
PeeearNeL OMe ae ee eS ee ee oe 7 IRESULLS 2 ty MOrOb= 326, 685+ et ae. oe ene 46 
SOS RO eae ee ae a ee 9 Res alisrats eam 22.58 3 So saree atone 51 
Bubemipelrature.—.....2*-----2-----+-----+--- 10 ResuutsatrNepbis as. o< eee ns ence ee ae 54 
meemee OX periments... ..-----.-..----+------- 12 | Depth-of-seeding experiments....-.....-- ey Lae pepe 
¢ Treatment of land before plowing...--...-- 12 ResultsiatyMlOroe seases-ce ese oes 54 
2 OTL Oe 2 2 ei Sa ae ee 18 | Results atabimd ss. 2s. cece 6 oe Bae ee 55 
Cultivation of summer fallow............-- a2 | “Spacing experiments... .2.. 2.2.22. Pe een TOLL 
Tillage factors influencing yields and ResulltsateMOro. 2.52 ec oe ee ks eee 57 
quality of winter wheat................. 42: | SUMMA yee ee sent Soe ohh ae,t ches Fan eee 58 
IMPORTANCE OF WHEAT IN THE FAR WEST. 
In the agricultural development of the dry lands of the far West, 
_ wheat has been the pioneer crop. For this there are several reasons. 
In sections of high altitude or cool climate, where the winters are not 
too severe, winter wheat usually will produce more pounds of grain 
_ per acre than any other crop, barley being its closest competitor in 
this respect. Wheat is a crop of wide adaptation, and its price is 
subject to less fluctuation from year to year than that of other 
cereals. It always is readily salable, and its value is high in propor- 
tion to its bulk. These facts have made wheat a crop of great value 
to ss new settler, who often must haul his crops long distances to 
Market. 
Wheat is the most important farm crop grown in the far western 
| United States north of the thirty-seventh parallel of latitude, or the 
_ southern boundary of Kansas, Colorado, and Utah. In sections 
” west of the Rocky Mountains where the precipitation is less than 15. 
_ inches, it is the only crop grown commercially to any extent except 
where irrigation is practiced. Even on some of the irrigated lands 
_ wheat is quite extensively grown. In general, however, on the 
drigated lands, wheat has been largely replaced by such crops as 
alfa, clover, and sugar beets. 
48605—23——-1 
