The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-01-13

To the editor of the Argus-Leader:
AS 1905 is now with us let us lie
looking around tor that seed wheat,
for wheat is quite likely n bring a
good price this season. 1t is said that
about 775 per cent of the South Dakota
wheat crop, grown last year, is unfit
tor seed. but our farms must raise
wheat, to some extent ANYWAY, for the
dollar may be realized on the farms
this year.
5f,ur state ap.icultulture college. and
tfSe leading railroads OF the state show
such an interest in the matter. that
no farmer should fail to take adyan-
tagc of the very favorable opportunity
placed within his reach to improve
his yield and the quality of his grain.
While much is being done by others.
the greater part rests with the man
behind the plow. He gets the first and
greatest benefits when better crops
grow. The man who takes hold of the
seed problem with earncstnesS, and
care is sure to keep far ahead Of his
neighbor who does not do it. Although
the first essential to better crops is
good weather. the next is better till
age Of the land, and the other good.
Clean and strong terminating seeds.
believe that all three have about the
Same relation toward a full crop. Con-
selnently the lack of having good. re-
liable seed in sufficient quantity amt
we'll cleaned is the most useless excuse
/! f'r a crop failure. since the relative
difference i'm the market value be-
tween choice, clean or foul or poor
seed is so slight that no farmer can
fail to see the tremendous advantage
in using the better quality.
The smut and rust difficulties arc so
great aud remedies for them are so
poorly understood, that to the general
farmer the information given out bv
the seed grain specialists in their lee
lures and demonstrations will be Il
lasting benefit to everybody who
raises an acre of grain. There is no
element OF graft about it or expense
to the farmer in anv way. The sole
| object is to furnish the most practical
AMI scientific information regarding
seed grain.
| Many sow their grain without clean
I ing and scatter it broadcast over the
ground, when good fan-mill and
grain-drill would do the work so very
much better. With good clean grain
the work of sowing either by hand or
seeder is so much easier that the trou-
bic OF cleaning is quickly overcome.
besides the great advantage to the
crop.
Ionce had neiyhbor who had never
cleaned his seed, until one spring he
borrowed fan-mill and cleaned his
wheat. But in sowing he ran short
and sowed his screenings on about
two acres OF the field. This of course
showed up badly, but really might
haye been as well that way as to have
sown it with the wheat before clean.
ing.
That was an object lesson to me and |
if any farmer questions the advantage
of cleaning his seed grain, he might
test it in just that way.
The writer always shelled the butts
and tips of his seed corn separately
about inch off the ends, using the bal
ance only for seed. The basket that
contained the shelled butts and TIPS
made a hard showing, although much
of it might grow. But the great differ
ence in the size of the kernels would
make the planter drop very uncverlv.
When grain is suwn with a good
drill the seeding is certainly done so
much better,fo all the kernels are COW
cred to nearly the same depth, and in
soft dry ground the ridges protect the
grain in the drills from being lncuyc
ed by high winds, and on uneven,
trashy or lumpy ground the seed is
distributed much more completely.
since when sown broadcast, what falls
on Jumps or trash is carried by the
harrows, already seeded.
The object Of this article is to en-
courage the better selection and bet
ter planting of our grain seeds, know
ing that the labor of plowlng, seeding,
harvesting and tnreshlng is the same
and the Investment in farm and i'm
plcments, where Il halt crop is raised,
is a whole one.
A farmer met the other day sug-
gested the following as a few very
good New Years resolutions for the
year 1905, viz:
am going to plant better and
cleaner seed than ever before.
| am going to farm in way that
my neighbor will not continue to rank
rs a better farmer than myself.
am going to manage TO keep my
J implements under cover when not in
use.
| will improve ms stock wi n few