The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-25

III try hard to understand it and be salts

fed"
stand 4ns m you a,ona III Ia.
northwest differs section by section quite much
northwestern wheat in general differs from that grown in
River valley makes different kind Of -four and bread
from the spring wheat grown In Wisconsin, we'll dit
ferent in another way from wheat Canada These
are all spring wheats-that is the seed is in tho
spring. and lies in the ground thru the winter, and
sprouts much earlier in the than the seed that is
only in the spring. and all these spring wheats
different from the winter wheat that is sown in the fall
and lies underground all Wlnter."
eyes, but what makes the difference between these
spring wheatsi' said Jack with puzzled frown.
"Cmate and SOIL was Uncle Dick quick response.
"a wheat plant is chemical laboratory that works
night and day from the moment the seed pushes ih
sprouts above the ground But to start from the begin
ming The seed to life very quickly after it Is
placed in the ground and begins to grow both upward
into the air, and deeper into the earth BY
time the leaves five inches high the first roots
have grown about four times as long Some roots
hard and strong to hold the tall plant erect but all arc
full of tiny roots like hairs, whose chief business is to
absorb all the food there is within reach.'
"Food,'' repeated Jack, 'sJust what do you
by thata'''
''The plant must have certain mineral foods, such
potash phosphates lime, magnesa salts, various
bnations of nitrogen and The first five fur
nished by the SOIL the last wholly by the air.
'Any H2O, Uncle Dick?'' suggested Jack with
sly smile 1na ~
with a smile that matched Jacks very broad one. ~
said minute ago that wheat plant chemical la
boratory I say that the leaves particularly
hkened The
passed up to them and they begin mixing Of all these
elements with the carbon which they themselves absorb
from the air. and reduce all to the kind of food the seed
will need. They manufacture and store up starch, glu
and oil and the proper time yield it to the seed
Now the varying kinds Of wheat the result of differ
chemical combinations in the eafaboratores forced
upon them by the proportions of the food ee
ments in the soil taken together with the effect the eli
mate has upon them all. -
cts like this then, understand it, said Jack.
supposing had honey and-and quinine CHATS bit
ter isn't it9' Uncle Dick nodded without saying any
thing t'And lemon juice and water,'' Jack went on
could several kinds of by just putting
in of thing than another One would be sweet
er than the rest BITTER sourer,
if put in water in another it would be thin
Is that what you meant about wheat?''
''It's about the idea, and it s far enough for
you to go just now, anyway. Just remember that
soils and climates raise wheat that has gluten, and
that other soils and climates produce seed that has more
starch. How much do you know about anatomye''
''I-I-cant tell till know what you want to
know" Jack half suffered.
''In growing animals, which do they develop first,
tEOh, that's easy. Bones and muscle.''
eyes, bones and muscle rst if only the proper food
is be had That's exactly what the wheat plant pro-
cees do In this part of the country it spends sixty
days at least in building up it's framework During that
time the plant does flower and the seed does
veop When the framework is complete, the food that
used for it's nourshment is given to the seed fat
it, When the threshng machine begins to tell the
story Of the YIELD farmer will frequently find that
while his wheat kernels apparently plump and perfect
they yet lacking in strength, because conditions
GENERALLY the Observation-Disclosures Of the weather-has
forced them to maturity faster than they should have
gone Again. the kernels may have lacked the proper
nourshment and their starvation is shown in their
shrunen and shrveed appearance Both of these weak
nesses may result of combination of circumstances
in and climate which neither the wheat
plant has any control Generally it is the weather, but
may be of the many diseases or insect pests to
which it is prey.''
ssDiseases!" exclaimed Jack 'FTeI about them -
'sNot want to leave that until the next trip.
We shall be able to things then for ourselves
sIve been looking at that wheat the other side Of
the barbed wire fence said Jack, and the leaves look
dead. Why Is that, Uncle Dicke Does the plant begin
to die from the root up the seed ripens?"
cit does not exactly die, but as it develops and
blossoms and the seeds begin npe the first leaves give
ND their Of food for the good Of the whole plant
and like patrarchs retire from active work Run into
house. now and bring out the paper roll you will find in
my Suitcase ..-..... -
Jack jumped up and dashed into the house, return