The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1898-01-28
A Few Facts About the Selec-
ton and Testing Of Seed
Wheat.

Believing that the followine g
| facts have teen well established
, by the experiment stations OF
the conntry, and that better
acquaintance with these facts
will aid the farmers of the state
in solving the problem of seed
wheat selection with which they
are confronted, we adopt this
method of dissemination.
SELECTION OF SEED.
| l. Light, shrunken, or weak
seed Of any kind should NEVER
be soWn if full yield is desired.
1t makes NO difference how the
injury to the seed is brought
about, whether by hot winds,
wet weather, frost, animal or
vegetable parasites. burning in
the stack or bin, or any other
causes. If inferior seed be
sown a good crop cannot reason
ably be expected.
.. The best and only safe vari-
eties for the practical farmer to
SOW for his main crop in any Civ
en- locality are those that have
alreldy proved themselves adapt
ed to that locality, or to
lsome other locality having like
conditions of soil and climate.
The quality of the seed should
be the same as that desired in
the crop. This seed should hay e
been produced under conditions
of soil aud climate as near as
possible like the most favorable
conditions that can reasonably
be expected to obtain in the To-
cality where the seed is sown.
). Continuous growth of wheat
on the same kind of soil or under
like climatic conditions does not
cause degeneration, but on the !
contrary, If proper care is taken
in culture and seed selection AID
the seed be kept pure, wheat
grown for long term of years in
any given locality should become,
with each added year, better
adapted to the conditions pc
culiar to that locality A change
Of seed from one locality to
another often results in serious
losses, as it sometimes takes
several years to overcome a
seemingly slight change in en-
vironment. Importation of seed
from a distance should be re-
sorted to only when it is impos-
sible to obtain suitable seed near
home, or when some new variety
is to be tested, which latter
should always be done on
small scale at first.
t. Each farmer should aim to
grow his own seed, first begin
ming with some standard variety
and then, by improved methods
of culture and careful selection
OF seed, strive to constantly i'm
prove the quality CT his grain
without change of seed. A small
reserve Of seed should be kept
over each year to guard against
the possibility of q failure to
produce any tirst-class seed for
the succeeding crop.
If, owing to a failure to OBJ
serve any Of the above named
precautions, the farmer finds
himself without suitable seed
grain, he should at once take
steps to secure such, since he
cannot afford to SOW inferior
seed. In making a selection of
new seed he should not allow
himself to be imposed upon by
anyone having any new or un-
tried varieties for sale. Neither
should he be tempted to make
any extensive experiments with
even the standard varieties that .
have come from locations differ
ing very widely from those pre- {
vailing in his own. But he I
sho lid insist upon having moth
ing but pure, tirst-class seed of
standard variety, that he knows
has been grown in about his own
latitude.
Probably a considerable reduc-
tion in cost Of seed and transpor-
tation could be had by co-opera-
ton between farmers and eleya-
tor men.
It IS probable that there is
still considerable quantity of
good, homegrown seed wheat