34 
The Coeorado Experiment Station 
add nitrogen because there is a deficiency of it to grow a crop. Our 
check plots grew good crops, from 31 to 43 bushels per acre, but the 
wheat from the check plots was badly affected with yellow-berry, 
while the wheat from our nitrogen plots was all practically free 
from it. 
I have my doubts whether it will ever be feasible for our farm¬ 
ers, and probably it will not be feasible for many farmers anywhere 
to use sodic nitrate to prevent the formation of yellow-berry. 
There are other considerations to be weighed besides the cost, but 
this alone is probably prohibitive. This, however, will depend upon 
the amount which may be found necessary to apply. 
The minimum amount necessary to 1 apply will be found to vary 
greatly depending upon the soil and the time of application. 
The observation of Moertlbauer that an early application of 
nitrates to winter wheat increased the mealy or yellow-berries does 
not apply, according to- our observations, to spring wheat for we 
have had very favorable results in suppressing the yellow-berry by 
making but one application at the time of sowing the seed. I do 
not know but that better results would have been attained, in fact, 
I think that we would have attained much better results, had this 
same application been made after the grain had set, but this would 
have required us to apply water enough to carry the nitrate into 
the soil. Our plots received two applications of nitrate. There 
are other phases to the question which would take us too far afield 
to attempt to discuss in this place, but it may be stated, that it is 
an easy matter to add too much nitrate. I am not prepared at this 
time to suggest the minimum quantity likely to be effective, the 
best time to apply it, or the maximum which may be used without 
disadvantageous results. The quantity to be added will vary with 
the soil, and it may be that but few farmers could wisely follow any 
definite rule with the same results. 
A point which demands mention in this place is, that as soon 
as the ratio of the nitrogen is too high, we obtain shrunken wheat 
irrespective of other conditions, and also abnormal ripening. The 
top and bottom portions of the straw will turn yellow while the 
middle portion and the leaves are too green to cut without danger 
of the sheaves rotting. This is a condition which I understand is 
frequently complained of by our farmers. The appearance of 
shrunken kernels without any apparent, adequate cause has also 
been noted very often. 
Wheat seems to be very sensitive to these conditions, though 
almost all of our writers on this subject have attributed only a 
minor importance to them, claiming that climatic conditions almost 
wholly determine the character of the grain. While we cannot 
