Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1897-12-17

attention is being given to the use
of such seed In wheat grow
Ing. 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
been developed by selecting from a
Held certain unusually good heads,
planting the grains of these separate
iy, and thereafter selecting the best
eacn year. 1t has been satisfactorily
proved that the old idea that rust
shriveled grains give as good returns
as large, healthy ones is erroneous.
About the year 1876 a semi-hard, red
variety, known as Grass wheat (prob-
ably an Odessa sort, became quite
popular in Northern Kansas, and was
thereaf4r. However, as the variety
was ADAPTED for sither 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,
1t 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
ference 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
1nal good quality, and finally gave
place to Turkey, Fultz and other var
ieties. Now, there is no doubt that |
the deterioration of this variety was I
due, in great part at least, to the con-
slant use of the very inferior shriveled |
spring grain for fall seeding. Many
other instances of the so-called run
ming out" of varieties is probably due
mostly to similar cases. However, even
under the best treatment it is a pretty
well-estaf shed fact that certain var
tiles. WI in time change quite mater
tally in quality of grain. This is espe-
cially likely to be the case with hard
northern sorts when transferred to
warmer and moister southern ATTITUDES.
Probably the only remedy in such cases
is to make al occasional fresh importa-
ton of seed The matter of seed Sc
lection is Of such vital Importance that
probably nothing would be Of more
benefit to the wheat grower than the
of special small seed
plats of, say, one to five acres, from
which to select seed each year. The
following plan is recommended: At har-
vest time cut from a good field a strip
Of the best portion, first eliminating
LII rye and other foreign heads and
Rrge weed seeds. After threshing the
wheat from this strip, grade 1t by
means of tanning mill with special
ieves made for the purpose, so as to
obtain only the largest and most Wig
,rous grains. Use the best grade OF ]
Wheat both for sowing the small plat
md for the general crop the next sea- I
on. The next year use none of the 6
ield crop for seed, but after grading ,
he wheat from the small plat, as be- {
ore, use the very best Of 1t for sowing I
he small plat and all the remainder I
or sowing the large field, and 80 on 9
ear after year. In this way seed is q
ever taken from the general crop. !
1hich cannot be given the same care a
s the small plat, and there is con- (
tant selection of seed, which is more b
nd more rigid every year. Moreover, ?
here is no extra labor involved, except s
he small amount required for grading 8
he seed each year. &