Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-12-14

attention is being given to the use
OF such seed in wheat grow
ssg. At present experiments are
being made at several different places
to test this point with reference to
wheat, three grades of seed-small,
medium and large-being used. Too
much attention cannot be given to this
subject. Many choice varieties have
Deen developed by selecting from a
field certain unusually good heads,
planting the grains of these separate
~. and thereafter selecting the best
each year. 1t has been satisfactorily
proved that the old idea that rust
ehriveled grains give as good returns
as large, healthy ones is erroneous.
About the year 1876 semi-hard, red
variety, known as Grass wheat (prob-
ABLY an Odessa sorD. became quite
popular in Northern Kansas, and was
widely used for ten or twelve years
thereafter. However, as the variety
was adapted for either fall or spring
sowing, and the spring-sown crop was
always inferior to the fall-sown, the
consequence was that two grades were
produced from the one variety. AS the
fall-sown crop brought the better price,
i became the practice to sell all the
winter wheat and use the worst OF the
spring crop for fall seeding. 1t was
claimed that this practice made no diff
Terence In the quality or quantity Of
the winter wheat, but about 1883 Grass
wheat began losing favor among wheat
growers. having lost much Of its orig
nal good quality, and finally gave
place to Turkey, Fultz and other var
icties. Now, there is no doubt that
the deterioration of this variety was
due. in great part at least, to the con-
slant use Of the very inferior shriyeled
sprtng grain for fall seeding. Many
ther Instances of the so-called run
ling out" OF varieties is probably due
Mostly to similar cases. However, even
nder the best treatment it is pretty
'ell-established fact that certain var
eties, when introduced into new local
tiles, will in time change quite mater
ally In quality OF grain. This is espe-
tally likely to be the case with hard
iOrthern sorts when transferred to
warmer and moister southern ATTITUDES.
Probably the only remedy in such cases
3 to make an occasional fresh importa-
ion OF seed. The matter of seed Sc
seton Is OF such vital Importance that
probably nothing would be Of more
,eneft to the wheat grower than the
'fablishment of special small seed
ats OF, say, one to five acres, from
7hich to select seed each year. The
blowing plan is recommended: At har-
lest time cut from a good field a strip
II the best portion, first eliminating
III rye and other foreign heads and
arge weed seeds. After threshing the
gheat from this strip, grade it by
means OF tanning mill with special
ieves made for the purpose, so as to
btain only the largest and most Wig
r0us grains. Use the best grade Of
heat both for sowing the small plat
nd for the general crop the next sea-
on. The next year use none of the
eld crop for seed. but after grading
be wheat from the small plat, as be-
IRE, use the very best Of 1t for sowing
be small plat and all the remainder
,r sowing the large field. and SO on
" after year. In this way seed Is
n taken from the general crop.
b cannot be given the same care
the small plat, and there is con-
tant selection Of seed. which Is more
nd more rigid every year. Moreover
here is no extra labor involved. except
DO small amount required for grading
he seed each year.