Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1904-12-17

have found that it has special bear
ing upon the methods which should
be pursued to escape the action
of diseases which attack farm crops
| It is found that one can breed plants
which take disease easily and types
which resist disease; indeed, ones
| which ale entirely immune to the
attack of such diseases as wilt in tax
and rust in wheat.
"We have obtained these first
| resistant and immune plants in a
short time by promoting the greatest
possible development of the particu-
lar diseases which we wish to study.
We place the plants which we wish
to test under all of the disease con-
ditions of the soil, air and water that
| we can help nature produce, then
save the seeds from those plants for
future trial under similar conditions
year after year.
ssThis is new method in expert
| mental work und has given astonish-
ing results with the fax plant both
with reference to rust and wilt. Tho
the experiments have not run as long
time, we have even more successful
first result with potato blight. wheat
rust and wheat smut. We know
that we are on the right track to
procure resistant and immune varie-
ties. The processes are simple and
every farmer can take part in the
| work.
WHAT EXPERIMENTS TEACH.
"First-That the methods of grad
ing and selecting farm seeds hereto
fore recommended and in use by
most able farmers are along correct
lines and should be followed rigidly;
because these grading processes not
only tend to save the naturally big
yielders, but to discard the weak
and non disease resisting strains Of
grain.
"Second-That when farmer re-
moves a lightweight sbriveled grain,
either by tanning or by screening, he
removed from the seed a grain which
came from a weak, sick plant or
from one which could not produce a
good, plump grain under the con-
ditions in which his crop grew.
"Third-That the farmer ought
not to change his type Of seed grain
continuously, but should breed up a
strong strain to fit his own local
conditions. To do this, he should
grade out all of the lightweight,
imperfectly shaped grains, and save
the plump, perfect ones. The last
grew on plants which could resist
trouble, plants which were strong
and resistant of disease and hard
conditions of soil and weather.
WHEAT FROM RUSTY CROP
GAIL this applies directly to the
question of using seed from the
present rusty crop. Because of the
reasons just given, recommend that
the farmers in the rust-infected dis
tricts procure the seed for next year
from their own crop If it is possible
to screen out enough heavy grain for
that purpose. If one third Of the
grains are heavy weights, most
farmers will be able to do this by a
little extra work with the fanni', g
mill. Remember that this is good
I year to sort out q good, vigorous
strain of seed wheat, for the rust
shriveled the grains of all of the
plants which could not resist it and
hard weather and soil conditions.
Glenn out the light stuff.
DURUM WHEATS.
II also call attention to the fact
that there are several varieties Of
durum wheat being grown in this
state, and that, while most durum
wheats are more resistant to rust
than the ordinary wheats, some of
them rust very badly and are of
less value than others. This is an
ideal chance to purify the durum
seed. Good rust-resistant durum is
plump as in ordinary years. Where
it is mixed with poorer types of
durum and has an admixture of the
ordinary soft wheats and weak
durum are badly snriveled and, there