Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1917 — FARMERS SHOULD SOW WHEAT [ARTICLE]

FARMERS SHOULD SOW WHEAT

Price Will Remain’ High Even After Peace Has Been Declared. ‘<This is the year for the Indiana farmer to sow wheat. If the war continues we shall have to help feed half of Europe while we fight the other half. If the war should cease, we shall have to help feed all of Europe. In either case it will be an act of patriotism and humanity to raise the best wheat crop possible next year." says. Otis Crane of the Purdue extension detpartment. "The prices of wheat and fertilizer., are high, but when we consider the need for food, these will be poor excuses for not sowing wheat this fall." Mr. Crane states that the first requirement for growing a big crop of wheat is to have the “desire." In addition to this the seed bed must be well prepared, availabl plant food must be furnished, the wheat must be. sown at the proper time, and good seed must be used.

On the first point the poet would say, '‘The hearth giveth grace to every art and he who follows love's behest far excelleth all the rest.'’ If your son. brother or neighbor is going. to the trenches, you should see that it is not your fault if he does not at least have bread to eat. The largest yields of wheat can be made by sowing after soy beans or potatoes. In 1916 Purdue university obtained an average of 25.6 bushels of wheat >per acre following corn and 33.5 bushels to the acre where wheat followed soy beans. Similar results were obtained by the Ohio station. In t]jeir experiments, wheat following corn yielded 2 8.2 bushels, wheat following soy beans 38.2 bushels, wheat following potatoes 38.1 bushels and wheat following oat% 37.2 bushels. These' experiments show strongly the value of Sowing wheat following annual legumes rather than! following corn. Where wheat follows oats, the ground must be plowed, but when wheat follows soy beans and potatoes the soil may be fitted by harrowing and rolling. Wheat does best on a compact seed bed, which is ..easily obtained on land which has been cultivated through the summer and then hallowed well before sowing, >

On the better grades of soil an application of 200 pounds of 16 or 18 per cent acid phosphate to - the acre will be sufficient I’Br the wheat crop. Where a good clover sod has been turned under or manure applied, nitrogen will not be needed, but on thinner soils- a fertilizer containing 2 per cent nitrogen and 10 to 14 per phosphoric acid: may be used with profit. This year good seed will be an unusually important factor because of the difficulty of securing seed of

first class quality. In many counties the wheat is badly affected with smut and other fungous diseases so that special care must be exercised in treating the seed ill .order that these diseases may be eliminated. In the fall of 1916 L. O. Chasey of Grant county cut his corn, disked and harrowed the land and drilled 175 pounds of fertilizer to the acre and sowed ’ clean, plump grain the last week in' September. This year he has a bumper crop of wheat which will yield over 30 bushels to the acre, while many other farmers in the section who did not give so much attention to these points have fields which will produce 15 to 20 bushels. Wherever good practices are, adopted large yields are sure to follow.