The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1898-02-10

dttentlOn is UelnS given ~ 'hN "
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. 100
much attention cannot be given to this
subject. Many choice varieties have
been developed by selecting from a
field certain unusually good heads,
planting the grains of these separate
ly, and thereafter selecting the best
each 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
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 tine one variety. AS the
fall-sown crop brought the better price,
it 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 1888 Grass
wheat began losing favor among wheat
growers, having lost much of its orig
inal 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
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-established fact that certain var
ieties, when introduced into new local
tiles, will in time change quite mater
ially.in quality of grain. This is espe-
cially likely to be the case with hard
northern sorts when transferred TO
warmer and moister southern %latitudes.
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 iced
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 striI
of the best portion, first eliminating
all rye and other foreign heads and
large weed seeds. After threshing the
wheat from this strip, grade it by
means of a tanning mill with special
sleeves made for the purpose, so as to
obtain only the largest and most Wig
orous grains. Use the best grade oi
wheat both for sowing the small plat
and for the general crop the next sea
son. The mex year use none of the
field crop for seed, but after grading
the wheat from the small plat, as be
fore, use the very best of it for SOWING
the small plat and all the remainder
for sowing the large field, and so OF
year after year. In this way seed il
lever taken from the general crop
which cannot be given the same car,
as the small plat, and there is a con
slant selection of seed, which is mort
and more rigid every year. Moreover
there is no extra labor involved, excep
the small amount required for grading
the seed each year.