Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-10-03
NarHl xHterstts,.
How to Produce. a New Variety Of
Wheat.


The true way to obtain new va
riety of wheat is to go to the field of
some excellent farmer who sustains
a fair reputation for raising superior
wheat, when the grain is ripe, and
select a few of the finest and largest
heads.
You can select, no doubt, some
heads that apper to be quite unlike
the great proportion of the heads.
The ultimate product of these pecu-
liar heads of grain will be the new
variety sought. If you select few
Of the best in the field the result will
be only an improvement of the grain.
The aim should be to start with
pure variety, if possible. Then pre-
pare the ground by thorough pulver-
ization and manuring as for a carrot
bed and plant about the middle
of September. Mark off the bed six
teen inches wide, then make holes
one inch deep, with the finger, six
inches apart in the row and plant
one grain in hole. If the ground
is rich, every kernel will produce a
stem that will tiller SO extensively as
to occupy the entire row with large
heads of grain. The wheat should
be cultivated and the weeds kept
down. Next season and the two fol-
lowing seasons, weed and reject every
head that appears tride different
from the rest of the heads.
In a few years the identity of the
wheat will be established and the
quality of the wheat and its produc-
tiveness will be so greatly improved
that one bushel of seed will yield
several bushels more of superior
grain per acre than can be grown on
the same soil from ordinary seed.
After a valuable variety of wheat
has been established, if proper care
be exercised in selecting the wheat
from year to year there is no more
danger that it will degenerate than
that the Southdown breed of sheep
will run out when bred and reared
with care from year to year.
In an industrial point of view the
propagating of new, prolific variety
of any of the grains is of immense
national Importance. Any new
variety which would yield from one
to four bushels of additional grain
per acre over the varieties in cult
walton, would tend thds far to raise
the resources of our own soil. In
this direction an extensive and most
inviting field is open TO all cultiva-
tors.
Were the agriculturist to study
more closely the operations Of the
hOrticulturist much benefit would res
suit to ali. Farmers, generally, not
only undervalue but wholly disre-
gard what horticulture has done for
agriculture. The pleasure and profit
to be derived is so considerable that
the propagation of the new varieties
will generally be amply rewarded
for the time occupied in selecting,
sowing and reaping new kinds of
grain. Those farmers who are
anxious to improve the variety Of
grain in cultivation, wheat, oats or
barley, should adopt the same means
as those so successfully followed by
the horticulturist.
The improvement of domestic an
finals and birds has been mainly eff
fected by selections, and the same
principles are equally applicable for
the improvement of the various va
rieties of cereals in cultivation. This
field of experiment is open to all and
the persevering may calculate upon
success where so much can be effected
with even an ordinary amount Of
attention. The experimenter who
possesses a knowledge of the cereas
and also vegetable physiology is
certain to reap a good harvest.
The cause of degeneracy and the
remedy may be expressed in a few
words. l have limited at the cause,
namely sowing inferior and poorly
developed seed. In threshing sever
al kinds together and continuing to
employ such grain for seed from year
to year lies the whole secret of de-
generacy of varieties. If a pure
variety be kept by itself with suffi-
cient care and cultivation, on good
ground, and the grain never threshed
with other wheat, this purity of a
variety of wheat with all its excel
Iont ohorootnriSfios D1ox, no maintain