The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-06
PLANT BREEDING.
Subject of Great Importance to Kan
sas to Be Discussed.


Even to many farmers it may seem
curious to hear of plant breeding, but
it is now a recognized fact that plant
Improvement is effected by pursuing
methods in breeding similar to those
adopted in producing the improved
breeds OF live stock And the work al
ready achieved in plant breeding has
wrought startling results in increased
yields and improved quality. The man
who has probably contributed most to
advancement along this line is w NJ.
Hays, professor of agriculture at the
Minnesota experiment station, who is
to attend the thirty-third annual meet
ing of the Kansas board of agriculture
to be held at Topeka, in Representa-
tive hall, January 1915, and give an
illustrated lecture entitled Breeding
Field Crops" telling what has already
been accomplished in that direction
and the vast possibilities in that field
of work. In this connection Prof. Hays
says:
1.-THE plant breeders are now making
more rapid progress in the philosophy
of breeding than the animal breeders.
The Improvement of the two billion
dollars worth of plant products an
nually produced in the United States is
matter which needs far more consid-
GRAFTON than it has heretofore had.
Once the breeders and the scientists get
together and realize what an important
problem of common interests confronts
them, they will see that by working to-
getner they can accomplish a great deal
of good. The scientists need to know
better what problems the breeders are
up against, and need to realize that
they will have the plaudits and sup
port of the practical breeders if they
win turn their experiments into more
practical lines"
The centering point of a busy week
viii be the meeting of the Kansas
board of agriculture, and Prof HAYS
6nIfFvns h fl a1E ut Mt
evening session.
These meetings of the Kansas board
are famed for their excellence. Prob
ably no other assenblage in the state
constitutes such intelligent up-to-date
representative men and women as are
always present at these meetings, both
as diffusers and absorbers of knowl-
edge; as teachers and pupils. A valu-
able feature of this coming meeting, as
of those in the past, is that all papers
and addresses are subject to pertinent
discussion, not only by members and
officers of the board but by any others
present, and all are invited to partici-
pate in these discussions.
The meeting will open at o'clock
Wednesday afternoon, January IS. This
session will be devoted to preliminary
routine work and viii serve to leave the
remainder of the programme unintsr-
rupted by matter of fact business af-
fairs.
The Wednesday evening session will
be opened by addresses of welcome by
Governor ". J. Bailey on behalf of the
state, and Mayor W. S. BergundthaI, on
behalf of the city to which Captain ].
H. Churchill, president of the board.
will respond The one paper of the
evening viii be presented by Prof. Eu-
gene Davenport, dean OF Illinois College
of Agriculture and director of expert
msnt station, at Urbana, on 'Agricul-
tural Leadership"
The Thursday morning session will be
opened by Prof o. Err. formerly of
Iowa, now head of the dairy department
of the Kansas Agricultural college This
will be Prof Erf's first appearance be-
fore a Kansas audience. and the title
of his paper is Selection of Dairy
Cows" Mr.. H A Bereman Of WelIston,
Mo, who edited Colman's Rural World
for many years, will talk on t'Prof1tabl
Dairying" The closing paper of this
session will be THE Big Horse and the