Oakes Republican. (Oakes, N.D.) 1898-1906, 1901-03-08
Prof. Bolley Of Fargo Dis
\ cusses Seed Grain.
Not every Grain that will
sproS is Good Seed"
Simple MaAqer of Testing
Wheat andElax Seed.

1t is poor economy to Sow inferior
seed. One who farms on an exten-
sive scale cannot allow airy more
chance to enter into The opohstons
than is absolutely unave eidabla. TX
D miments conducted at this station
during the seasons of 1892 and 1898
sh IVY that injuries TO the seed grain,
OF very slight appearance, have a
marked influence upon the yield Of
the crop, In 1898, over l4O samples
of injured wheat was tested in the
l.b,atory as to their vaihility ard
also seeded in the fold in suitable
pl'ts along with standard samples of
"No. l hard" wheat, In the labsa-
t Try, no matter what was the causa,
i 'jnrcd grain was found to yerln,nate
with less vigor than normal grain. In
the field the Yield OF the plots cores
p onded very closely in relative
strength as indicated in the germna-
tion tests.
The seed conditions in the state
cores ponded very closely with those
which exist at the present time; there
was very much wheat which had
been injured either by vet weather or
frost. That year there were tested
samples which We're injured through
being frosted before maturity, sam
Piles " hich had been wet and subject
t. ezing and thawing in the bin or
in the shock, samples which had been
wet ard subject to heat in tie BIN
aud number Of samples which had
b zen slightly injured in various ways,
snch as ordinary bleaching by ex-
posure by light rains and sunshine.
At harvest tiuia the yield Of straw
and grain was taken for all samples,
and it was found that no samples of
wheat which could be described as
having been il jured at all, equaIled
the norma! sample Of hard wheat in
yield; and many samples which ap-
psared but slightly injured, failed 10
produce a paying crop.
From the studies made during
those two years the following sunF
maries were then made: When S,n
doubt, tie otryest, heaviest, Lagsest /,
best market grades of wheat aH tie
ones to rely upon fer seed p,sposes."
"Immature wheats, no maFer what
the cause ure weakened in seed value
because OF lack Of fulf food sup
ply in til. grain for theB Boupg plants.
and perhaps because 81 the imma-
tarity of the embryoTself.'
Mixed varietesyof seed should
not be sown becayIe the crop is sure
t. ripcn unevenl Z"
"The best grGes Of frosted ss eds
p ,ssess less sFsength in their fist
growth from yhe grain than normal
ssad grain.ng
"Wheat that has been vet and sub
ject to fsefz;ng and thawing during
tAe wintgr ought not be. used as seed,
at east5Without being tested"
geats threshed from the shock
in ths spring Of 1892 after winter
BLEACHING, subject to the action of
theEyeather in the shock were gem
erGly dead"
II haye now examined over 300 sam
PES of seed grain since the date Of
Web. l. hope these samples which
the farmers have been sending to the
station represent the poorest kind of
seed which is to be found in the
state, for while few samples lave
been sent in which the sender claimed
was of fine quality, have been found
to be good, the majority of the sam
pies, both of fax aud of wheat have
been OF very poor quality. [ think [
am safe in making some statements
which may perhaps save some farm
ers OF this state a number Of dollars
the coming season. They are about
a, follows: II you stored your wheat
or flax seed when it was damp and it
still remains damp, ii will be of weak
quality and many OF the grains will