The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-03-03

conditions and the ravages of disease.
Thus. with favorable conditions it would
be possible to produce crop of 80 per
cent value but with unfavorable condi-
tions the value would again be lessened
and there is chance that the crop
would be a total failure People are
, constantly in contact with the germs
of many diseases but seldom succumb
unless their vitality (health) is poor;
in other words, unless their systems are
run down by overwork, colds or from
some other cause So it is with the
grain: The more vigorous and healthy
the plant the better able it is to hold
up under the effects of rust and other
diseases. Hence it is obvious that a
field of wheat from poorly matured kerr
nels of weak vitality cannot be expect
ed to do, nor will it do, as well as
field from we'll matured, vigorous seed.
The division of agriculture is making
tests to determine the termination
value and the character of the rusted
wheat and of the plants from such seed.
In every instance, so far as the work
has progressed, the termination has
been less than that of good seed and less
than that from the selected seeds of
the poor lot. The average termination
of the poor wheat was So per cent, while
the termination for the graded or Sc
lected seeds was 50 per cent. The diff
ference is not great, but it gives an ad-
vantage which, when followed up by
the appearance of the plants, substan-
tiates the concensus of opinion that the
rusted wheat, unsolicited, is unfit for
seed. The plants which have been grown
from the inferior seeds were universally
slender, narrow leaved, and showed less
vigor than those from good seed, plant
ed and cared for under exactly similar
conditions.
Third. Can any good seed be secured
from the low grade, shrunken, rusted
wheat, or would it be best to get
change of seed? There are probably
few instances where it is not possible
for the farmer to get good seed from
the rusted wheat to plant his fields.
Wheat that would grade only No. 3 or
No. at the elevator would have from
10 per cent to 25 per cent or more of
good, plump, mature grain, though the
other 90 per cent or IS per cent would
be practically useless. Wherever it is
possible to get at least 10 per cent of
good heavy wheat from such bulk grain,
"a farmer can do no better than secure
a tanning mill and save this ten or
more per cent for his seed. By so doing,
there is double gain; first, the seed
secured is thoroughly adapted to the 10
cal soil and climatic conditions. In this
respect it would be far superior to any
newly introduced variety from a neigh
boring county or state. Experiments
have proven with thorough satisfaction,
that it does not generally pay to change
seed from one locality to another at
least for the major part of the crop.
Farmers should be slow to give up the
staid varieties that have been adapted
to their local conditions so long, and
give place to some untried sort that
may and may not prove better than the
old stock. A plant is not possessed of
the power of Immediately becoming ac
customed to the changed surroundings,
but will, in many cases, unless the
change is too radical become adapted
to them and prove better than the old
stock. Another danger also in bring
ing varieties from other localities, is
the probable introduction of noxious
weeds-it is shameful that the neglect
has run to the extent it has in the
wholesale distribution of weed seeds.
Farmers have been too careless and have
disregarded the weed problem until
many are now paying dearly for it.
Fourth. Where is it possible to get
good reliable seed? In addition to
saving the plumpest and heaviest seed
from the supply on hand there is an
other class of seed that should be used,
eventually to the exclusion of most of
the common varieties. The Minnesota
experiment station has originated and
distributed to the farmers of Minneso-
ia, two new varieties of wheat, viz:
MINI. No. l63, fife wheat, which is
especially adapted to the northern part
of the state, and Minnesota No. 1859,
a blue stem variety, which has given
universal satisfaction and is superior to
Minnesota No. l63 Recent estimates
have been made as to the probable
amount of Minnesota No. I69 wheat
raised last year and the figures are
placed, conservatively, between 100000
and 100000 bushels. These wheats both
have a pedigree back of their high
yielding qualities, and have been origin
ated by a system of most careful selec