The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-08

treatment of seed with various cheni-
Gals to hasten termination. 1t is we'll
known that some seeds require one or
two years from the time of maturity
before they will sprout. Many formu-
las have been given from time to time
by experts, to hasten termination. We
are also experimenting on the value of
selecting only the heavy and large
seeds from given lot for planting, and
have obtained some very interesting
results. We have found that in the
matter of early peas that not only did
the heavy seeds produce a heavier crop,
but also produced a crop which ma
tured from two to six days earlier than
the crop from smaller seed. This work
was done in greenhouses and also car
ried on in soil with this important re-
suit. From the above facts farmers
could easily produce earlier and better
crops by simply selecting their seeds.
"a serious drawback results from the
fact that many weak plants perish in
the seeding stage. If any seeds are
lacking in vigor, even though they may
terminate, a sudden change Of tenn
perature, or a prolonged drought, or a
slight frost is apt to destroy plants
While they are in their young and ten
der condition.
insufficient attention has been paid
to the fact that different seeds, even
unequal vigor, which shows itself in
the plants produced. 1t should there
fore be the aim of planters to so select
their seed that both vigor and uniform
lty may be secured.
Owing to the lack of facilities these
experiments have not been conducted
on field scale, but numerous inVesti-
cations have found that heavy seed
wheat, oats, etc, produce heavier crops
in the field than lighter seed of the
same variety, soWn under similar con-
dltions; and there seems no room for
doubt, that in the majority of in
stances at least, the selection of large
heavy seed will simply repay the
planter for all the extra time, labor
and money expended.
For number of years there has
been great agitation among the farm
ers and others towards securing ma
tional legislation, which would require
seedmen to guarantee the purity and
vitality of their Seed especially to
guarantee that certain bad seeds, like
dodder, etc, are not to be found in the
goods they sell. A bill was before
congress last winter to that effect, but
nothing came of it. A similar BILL
however, was passed by the legislature
of the state of Maine, and seedmen in
the Pine Tree state are therefore COM
PEELED by law to guarantee their seed.
"Our collection of seeds in this di-
vision numbers over $4,000 different
varieties, and is probably the largest
seed collection in America, If not in
the entire world, and we are making
additions to it almost daily. We are
at the present time putting up pack
ages of different seeds to be dis
tributed to the different agricultural
experiment stations throughout the
country, to our agricultural colleges,
and we also sell some, for their actual
cost, to the leading seedmen.
another thing which is interesting
this division of the department of ag-
riculture, at the present time, is the
treatment Of buggy seed with carbon
bisulphid to kill the insects. Seeds
of the common pea are often badly
infested with WeeVils, and, in fact,
nearly all seed grain is subject to
their ravages The common method
is to treat such weeds with a chemical
called carbon bisulphid, which is a
very powerful gas which kills all in
sect life which may come in contact
with it. We have been making eX-
periments to ascertain the effect of this
gas upon the various varieties of seed.
We have found that there was not the
least dimunitiOn in the vitality Of
wheat, corn, barley or rye resulting
from leaving the seeds in contact with
the gas lOE lWeIly-lOuE uOuIS DIT IHt
usual rate of one pound of the chemi-
cal to 100 bushels of grain. We also
found that, in general the seeds of
beans, cotton, buckWheat, oats, and
cabbage family and COW peas will
stand severe treatment with the fumes
of carbon bisulphid, without material
ly injuring their terminating power.
On the other hand, seeds of corn,
wheat, rye and other products of the
grass family should be treated with
caution when exposed to the fumes Of
this chemical"
In view of the exceptional interest
that is at the present time being man
Tested in the production of wheat in
the United States, and the relation of
such production to the wheat crop of
the world at large, the division of
statistics has decided to call upon the
correspondents of that division
throughout the country, to make
special report to the department, based
not upon the percentage system used
by the department, but upon careful
and conservative estimates of actual
production, in bushels.
1t is the intention of the secretary
of agriculture that the work of the
department shall be made of greater
utility to the farmers of the country
than has ever been the case in the
past, and therefore this circular let
ter has been sent to the correspond
ents of the division of statistics, to
investigate the subject as thoroughly
as possible.
Each investigator is requested to as
certain the exact production. in bust
els, of all wheat grown in the county
in which he is located, and also to as
certain the average yield per acre
In this way the department will not
only know the exact number of BUSH
els of wheat produced in this country
during the year 1897, but will also be
able to tell where wheat is most profit
able.
Mr.. Hyde, the statistician of the de-
partment, says that the result Of this
important investigation will be ready
in about ten days or two weeks, and
will be Immediately published and dis
tributed to all who care to have it,
and will send their names to the de-
partment.