Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-01-08

attention Is Deins given W ING
of such seed In wheat grow
ing. At present experiments are
being made at several different places
TO test this point with reference 70
wheat. three grades OF seed-smah'
medium and large-being used. TOO
much attention cannot be given TO TINS
subject Many choice varieties have
been developed by selecting from
held certain unusually good heads,
planting the grains of these separate
iy, and thereafter selecting the best
each year. II has been satisfactorily
proved that the old idea that rust
shrtyeied 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
widely used for ten or twelve years
thereafter. However. as the variety
was adapted for either fall or sprins
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
7 fall-sown crop brought the better price.
II became the practice TO sell all the
winter wheat and use the worst OF the
spring crop for fall seeding. II was
/ claimed that this practice made no df-
ference in the quality or quantity OF
the winter wheat. but about lsss Grass
wheat began losing favor among wheat
[ growers. having lost much Of It's orig
inal good quality. and finally gave
place TO Turkey. Fultz and other var
teties- 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 zhriveled
spring grain for fall seeding. Many
other Instances of the so-ealled run
ming out" OF varieties Is probably due
mostly to similar cases However. even
under the best treatment Il Is a pretty
weli-established fact that certain var
ieties, when introduced into new local
titles. win In time change quite mater
tally in quality Of grain. This Is espe-
c.ally likely to be the case with hard
northern sorts when transferred 20
warmer and moister southern ATTITUDES.
Probably the only remedy In such cases
Is to make an 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
establishment OF special small Secd
plats Of, say. one 20 FIVE acres. from
which to select seed each year. The
following plan Is recommended: At har.
vest time cut from a good field strlT
OF the best portion, first eliminating
all rye and other foreign heads ant
large weed seeds. After threshing tn.
wheat from this strip. grade It by
means of a tanning mill With specia
sieves made for the purpose. so as tC
obtain only the largest and most Wig
, orous grains. Use the best grade %
wheat both for sowing the small pla
2 and for the general crop the next sea
] son. The next year use none of tn
7 field crop for seed. but after grading
3 the wheat from the small plat, IA be
4 fore. use the very best Of II for sowinl
I the small plat and all the remainde
/. for sowing the large field, and SO OF
/ year after year. In this way seed {
!, never taken from the general crop
A which cannot be given the same car
! as the small plat, and there is a con
: slant selection Of seed. which Is NOR
and more rigid every year. Moreover
!, there Is no extra labor involved. excep
the small amount required for gradin
!. the seed each year.