Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low RainfallWidtsoe, John Andreas
Science
Dry-Farming : A System of Agriculture for Countries under a Low Rainfall
Widtsoe, John Andreas
Dry farming
The _winter wheats, _as has been repeatedly suggested in preceding
chapters, are most desirable for dry-farm purposes, wherever they
can be grown, and especially in localities where a fair
precipitation occurs in the winter and spring. The hard winter
wheats are represented mainly by the Crimean group, the chief
members of which are Turkey, Kharkow, and Crimean. These wheats also
originated in Russia and are said to have been brought to the United
States a generation ago by Mennonite colonists. At present these
wheats are grown chiefly in the central and southern parts of the
Great Plains area and in Canada, though they are rapidly spreading
over the intermountain country. These are good milling wheats of
high gluten content and yielding abundantly under dry-farm
conditions. It is quite clear that these wheats will soon displace
the older winter wheats formerly grown on dry-farms. Turkey wheat
promises to become the leading dry-farm wheat. The semisoft winter
wheats are grown chiefly in the intermountain country. They are
represented by a very large number of varieties, all tending toward
softness and starchiness. This may in part be due to climatic, soil,
and irrigation conditions, but is more likely a result of inherent
qualities in the varieties used. They are rapidly being displaced by
hard varieties.
The group of soft winter wheats includes numerous varieties grown
extensively in the famous wheat districts of California, Oregon,
Washington, and northern Idaho. The main varieties are Red Russian
and Palouse Blue Stem, in Washington and Idaho, Red Chaff and Foise
in Oregon, and Defiance, Little Club, Sonora, and White Australian
in California. These are all soft, white, and rather poor in gluten.
It is believed that under given climatic, soil, and cultural
conditions, all wheat varieties will approach one type, distinctive
of the conditions in question, and that the California wheat type is
a result of prevailing unchangeable conditions. More researeh is
needed, however, before definite principles can be laid down
concerning the formation of distinctive wheat types in the various
dry-farm sections. Under any condition, a change of seed, keeping
improvement always in view, should be baneficial.
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