New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-05-20
WAR OF DIFFERENTIATION.
Prof. Harper Is Waging It Against Infer.
ior Grades of Wheat
Seconded by G. A. Pillsbury, Who Gives
the State Thousand Bushels of
No. l Scotch Fife.

Plof. D. N. Harper, agricultural
chemist of the state experiment station,
has just issued bulletin relative to the
growing of No. 1. Scotch Fife wheat,
which will be read with great interest
bv all wheat producers of the state.
Prof. Harper's efforts to better the con-
dition of agriculture and to work an
improvement in farm methods are we'll
known. The professor attributes fail
ures in farming largely to slovenly,
careless methods, and is attempting to
reform business methods on the farm.
In bis latest bulletin he states that OBJ
servation and experiment show quite
conclusively that the best wheats for
our conditions are the pure Scotch Fife
and Blue Stem, the former being the
superior variety. He then gives rules
for the selection of wheat seed, and
adds:
1t is we'll known fact that the farm.
ers of Minnesota in the past few years
have gradually discontinued the seeding
of Scotch Fife on the ground that it had
run its race and was no longer a good
yielder. The result has been that many
varieties inferior IN good flour making
qualities have been sown under the ex-
pectation that larger yields would bring
increased remuneration; but the results
in all these cases show that no variety
yet discovered will equal in hardihood,
as we'll as in all other essential qualif-
cations, the old Scotch Fife. The only
substitute which approximates it in
value IS the Blue Stem, but success.
cessive groupings of this variety show
that it more rapidly deteriorates in
yield and quality than the former; be-
side, its tendency toward sensitiveness
in adverse climatic conditions and its
other disadvantages herein before
enumerated.
In the early part of last spring Prof.
Harper concluded that it Was highly
important that the war of determination
should be commenced upon the inferior
varieties of wheat which were being
sown all over Minnesota, and that an
attempt should be made to return to the
old conditions when the state produced
uniform crop of the finest wheat in
the known world. BY persistent efforts
he at last found a coadjutor in Hon. c.
A. Pillsbury, who placed at the dispos-
al of the station 1000 bushels of abso-
lutte pure Scotch Fife, obtained from
one field in North Dakota; this seed
was distributed in time for this years
seeding under the following conditions
of competition: 1t shall be planted op
new ground-that which has not grown
a crop-or on summer fallowed land, or
on land which has just raised crop of
potatoes, corn or millet.
A record shall be kept of the date
when planted, size of plot, time when
ripe, and dates when harvested and
threshed.
A small sample of the crop, togeth-
er with record shall be sent TO me.
1t shall be seeded at the rate of at
least one bushel per acre. The wheat
will be distributed in packages not to
exceed five bushels, and it is suggested
that one bushel be the rate at which it
is seeded when press drill is used, and
a bushe] and peck when seeded broad.
cast.
A bushel of the crop shall be sent by
each farmer to the state fair of 1891.
Mr.. Pillsbury will give premium of
500, divided in three different prizes,
for the best samples submitted there.
Thesexpense of transportation to the
state fair will be borne by the expert
ment station, and the wheat will then
be the property of the experiment sta
ton, This wheat will be distributed
next year. e
lhls SEED has been divided among
500 of the most careful farmers in all
portions of the state. Some pure Blue
Stem wheat which was propagated by
Haynes of Fargo has been sown in con.
nection with the Scotch Fife to ascer-
tain comparative results. The wheat
received from each farmer at the state
fair will be subsequently distributed as
seed. The possible benefits to be de-
rived from this move cannot be com.
puted, and the results are therefore
being looked forward to with consid.
cradle interest. Pioneer Press.
Cards of Thanks
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