Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-03-23
TREATMENT OF SEED GRAIN
PROFESSOR 0ollEv, OF THE
STATE AGRICULTURAL co.,
leoe olves GOOD ADVICE.
HOW TO INSURE A. FAR AZ POS
sleLE THE BEST GRAIN
CROPS.

Seed Before Planting-Poor Seed
Means q Poor Crop and Good Seed
ENSURES . Clean and Profitable Crop
Under Favorable Conditions.
Professor Bolley. of the state agri.
cultural college writes: Just now
every one seems to be much interested
in the question whether there is to he
q Wisconsin inspection for North Da-
kota wheat or not. One thing is
plain, even with all our carclessness
in farming, the quality of the North
Dakota wheat is recognized as su
perior to that of all other spring
wheat countries. and it is evident that
the thing for North Dakotans to do is
to keep this high standard of excel
lence unsullied. This product owes
its fine milling qualities to the char,c-
teristics to our soil and climate. AS
long as the soil is new and fertile
almost any careless process of farm
work will produce good wheat. pro-
vided it is reasonably we'll cured at
harvest time. This favorable state of
the soil may. however, not be e .nccted
to last except under intelligent meth
| DDS of crop rotation and culture.
Even, at present, a few farmers
raise as fine crops as is possible,
either in quantity or in quality. In
most cases, the reason is to be found
in the fact that a poor, uneven quail
ity of seed is placed in the ground.
Many farmers seem to believe that
which cannot be placed on the market
because of its inferior grade may yet
be used for seed with safety. They
pay dearly for this notion, losing both
in quality and in quantity. Proof Of
this has been too often made at this
station to need further reiteration.
To make a success of wheat culture
one must. year by year., stanchly per-
sist in the use of the best possible
seed. If one deviates from the rule,
loss is sure to follow. In a number
of different years, u experiments
show that any variation in the seed
from a number 1 hard" quality will
surely show up in the yield at harvest.
If the quality of seed is of mixed type
or uneven in quality, as to maturity,
injury, ETC.. the quality at harvest is
sure to be of Uneven grade. Farmers
should avoid using any of the follow
ing types of grain for seed purposes:
Immature wheats, no matter what
the cause, are weakened in seed value
because of the lack of a full food sup
! ply in the grain for the young plants.
and perhaps because of immaturity of
the embryo itself.
Mixed varieties of seed should not
be sown because the crop is sure 10
ripen u%nevenly.
The best grades of frosted seeds
possess less strength in their first
growth from the grain than normal
seed grain.
Wheat that has been wet and sub.
ject to freezing and thawing during
the winter ought not to be used as
seed, at least. without being tested.
Wheat which was threshed damp
and became hot enough in the bin to
be noticed when the hand was thrust
into it has been considerably injured
for seed purposes.
If, after being threshed and stored
wet, it has become moldy or musty
caked together, it will be very much
the safest thing to get a better type
OF grain for seed purposes.
Wheat which has been really hot
in the bin may be wholly dead. Il
is not safe to use it at all, unless &
good termination test is made.
Grain which has been stored in the
bin SO that It has been subject t.
moisture and freezing and thawint
will be sure to have a large p~ercentag,
VI tuc grains eutITely ucdu anu HAL.
others SO weak tina. it will be i'm
possible for them to send up plant.
sufficiently strong to be of much crol
value.
Summary: Procure the plumpest
best colored grain you can get TO
seed. Use nc other, If 1t can b,
avoided. 1t is a much more certain
way of getting rich to feed inferio
grain to stock than to use it for seed
If in doubt whether grain will germ
mate or not, it Is easy to make a ties
of it in a small box of moist sand O
dirt. However, it is hardly a wis
procedure to use any grain for see'
purposes which looks so poor as t,
cause n to doubt whether it will
grow.
Grade out all small or shrivelle,
grains. This will also remove tn