Rocky Ford enterprise., 1893-11-09
TEE AGRICULTURAL WORLD,
USEFUL IMPORTATION FOR THE
PRACTICAL FARMER.
It Pays to Use Good Seed wkeat-
Lambs I'm the Corn Field-Fntten-
tnE for Market-Fncts of Interest.

During the past three years we have
experimental to ascertain what infiu-
enee the quality of seed wheat had
upon the yield.
For this purpose the wheat has been
divided into three grades which were
denominated heavy" common" and
light" These grades were obtained
by running the wheat through Il fam
ming mill. In the first place the wheat
us 1t came from the thresher was run
through the tanning mill to blow out
tho pieces of straw and chaff which
1t contained. The wheat thus cleaned
was denominnted the common" grade.
The heavy" and light grades were
obtained by running the common"
grade through tho mill SO MS to divide
1t into the heaviest and plumpest sead
on the one hand, and the small and
more or less shriveled on the other.
The former was called heavy" seed
and the latter Eight" seed.
Each of these three grades We're
sown on five plats, each plat one-twen-
tieth of an acre In extent, and the
comparison of the yields was based
upon the average Of the five plats In
each case. / may explain here that
the reason I use five plats is that by
that means, 1t becomes possible to get
bette. average of the soil for each
experiment. If only one plat Is used
In such experiments there is n possibil-
ity that Some of these single plats
may be located on rich spots in the
field, and others in poor spots, as it
Is well nigh impossible to find fields
which are of absolutely equal quality
all over. But by multiplying the plats
and alternating them with one nn-
other over tie whole area under cx-
pertinent and then basing the calcula-
ton on an average yield of each set Of
plats, 1t is possible to eliminate the er-
ror due to inequality in the soil, which
would otherwise arise.
Now for the results of these expert
ments. The average yield for the
three years they have been carried On
are us follows:
Light seed, 25.10 bushels grain and
LBS tons straw per acre.
Common seed, 20.57 bushels grain and
LAP tons straw per acre.
Heavy seed, 27.O7 bushels grain and
LOT tons straw per acre.
1t will be seen from this that the bet
ter the seed, the better the yield. 1t
should be noted, however, that the
grade here called common" is better
til the average seed wheat used by
farmers generally.
Tho majority of wheat growers sow
the wheat just as it comes from tho
tiresher and consequently 1t contains
more or less chaff and bits of straw,
and weed seeds, which were separated
in our experiments by running the
wheat through the tanning mill. Tho
wheat was seeded nt the rate of n bush
el md a peck per acre, put 1t in with
press drill, and the variety used was
the "Currell."
But the influence of good seed can
be traced far beyond the yield of the
first year. 1t will be apparent in sue
cessive crops, owing to the inexoIible
Inv of heredity, by which the Off
spring partakes of the character Of the
parent stock. This law is fully. recog-
nizcd by oil breeders of improved live
stock, who exercise the greatest caro-
to select the best animals that they
can get to breed from in order that
the offspring may be of superior quail
ity and sell Mt a good price. 1t is
due to the operations of this law that
rnnchmen, who have only common cat
tie. are anxious to obtain purc-brcd
males for their herds In order that the
steers they raise may get better form,
grow larger and feed better than the
offspring of the scrub bull.
This same law holds equally true in
seed breeding. The grain raised from
a superior quality Of seed, which has
been selected with due care, will be
better seed and yield better crops WIN
1t is sown than grain raised from
inferior quality of seed.
Most of our Western farmers recog-
nize this principle In the selection Of
their seed corn. At husking time they
select the largest and best ears and
hang them in the loft, or some secure
place, to be used for seed next spring
Why not apply the same principle to
the selection of seed wheat? The ex-
pertinent 1 have quoted above proves
that it is not an idle theory, but it is
n fact which can be verified by anyone
who will go to the necessary trouble.
If you have not been in the habit of
cleaning your seed wheat heretofore
do it this fall. 1t will pay you.-Prof
g. G. Georgeson, Of the Kansas Agri-
cultural College.