Vol. LXXIV, No. 4319. 
NEW YORK. AUGUST 14, 1915. 
WEEKLY $1.00 PER YEAR. 
Wheat Growing in New York State. 
Its Part in Farm Practice. 
Part I. 
HE WHEAT SITUATION.—The situation in 
the wheat market for the past year is one un¬ 
precedented during the present generation. With 
Europe threatening for a time to call for more 
wheat than we could spare before the next harvest, 
the price began to soar just about the time for seed¬ 
ing the new crop. Few men, if any, were able to 
comprehend the world wheat situation and judge 
where it would lead to. To what extent and for 
bow long would England, France, Italy and the 
others call for wheat? Would any way be opened 
through the Dardanelles or elsewhere to bring out 
the Russian wheat? If so, how much could she 
furnish? These are a few of the questions involved. 
The American farmer’s “human nature.” however, is 
not so difficult to fathom. Wheat and other cereals 
were bringing a high price at seeding time and the 
American farmer plants according to the current 
market. The weather has joined in and helped the 
thing along so that the prospects are for an un¬ 
precedented yield of wheat on by far the largest 
acreage ever sown in the country. Probably the 
wheat fever had less effect in Western New York 
than in most of the wheat-growing sections. With 
an immense crop of $1.50 apples and a large acre¬ 
age of 30-cent potatoes to harvest the Western New 
Yorkers were not so much inclined to plunge into an¬ 
other possible “two blades of grass to sell at the 
price of one” proposition. Nevertheless the wheat 
; creage was somewhat increased and up to July 
15, when the first field was cut in our neighborhood, 
the crop is looking fine in practically all the fields. 
NECESSARY IN ROTATION.—Wheat is not gen¬ 
erally considered a very profitable crop, one year 
with another in most parts of New York State. 
An analysis of the situation indicates that most 
farmers consider it an indispensable part of their 
rotation rather than a very profitable cash crop. 
The grain is expected to pay for the cost of rais¬ 
ing and a little over. The straw is needed for sta¬ 
ble bedding, and to increase the manure pile; and 
the crop is used as an intermediate and nurse crop 
for the clover and Timothy seeding, so as to make 
use of the land during the season the hay crop is 
being started. The proposition was concisely put 
lip to me some time ago in this way: I made the 
statement that at the price of wheat (prior to the 
past year) and the yields we have been getting it 
was raised at a loss if figured on a basis of accur¬ 
ate farm cost accounting. The reply was that “I 
would lose more if I didn’t raise wheat.” The feel¬ 
ing of dissatisfaction with the wheat proposition is 
also expressed in a practical way by the fact that 
barley and oats are being used more as a nurse crop 
for the grass and clover seeding, and canning peas 
are also being used to some extent, especially to 
seed Alfalfa with. The failure of clover seeding in 
wheat has been especially marked in recent years 
on fields where it used to be considered almost a 
sure thing, and yet it seldom fails to catch in bar¬ 
ley. Seeding with a Spring grain is often more 
successful than with wheat, because the small seeds 
are worked into the freshly tilled soil, and are more 
sure to germinate. Also the recently tilled surface 
is more retentive of moisture, and offers a much 
better protection from drought during the first few 
weeks after seeding, which is a critical time with 
clover. Nevertheless wheat is still an important 
crop here, and the interest in it has been greatly 
stimulated as a result of recent world events. 
SOILS.—Wheat can be grown successfully on a 
wide range of soils. The medium to heavy loams 
are preferred, but a quite heavy clay loam, or even 
a clay soil is all right if properly drained, well 
A Cover Crop of Hairy Vetch and Crimson Clover grown in Rhode Island. Fig. 377. 
