Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1905-03-03
Value OF GOOD SEED
importance Of Farmers
Discriminating in Matter
of Seeds

discriminating in Matter
of Seeds
The c. M. & S.. r. Ry. has been
visiting towns along its line in this
state with ''good seed train, carry
ing experts from the state experiment
station, who have been speaking to
farmers on the subject of good seed.
From the report Of the Glencoe meet.
ing in the Glencoe Enterprise, the
following is taken:
The first speaker was Prof. G. B.
Bull Of the Minnesota Experiment
Station. who confined his remarks to
the necessity of selecting the plump
est, heaviest and largest average
vitalized variety possible that can be
obtained, it farmer would have the
best result in quality and quantity.
He showed by diagrams that nature
has provided not only q life germ,
but body to every kernel of wheat.
the body to support the life germ
when it begins its growth till it shall
have attained the strength and size
sufficient to draw its further susten.
ance from the soil bed in which ii is
planted. A poor, shrunken kernel may
have a true vitalizing germ but be-
cause it has shrunken, shriveled
body it's roots going down into the
soil are fewer and shorter, and the
short stalk has feeble start and sick.
~ appearance and never gains that
thriftiness of growth that the large
plump kernels attain; and the farm
or raises d poor crop who sows the
shrunken quality, while his neighbor
adjoining who uses this largest and
best, other things being equal, will
exceed his In reaping, several more
bushels to the acre and a better
quality. He spoke Of corn seed ana
experiments made as to planting the
kernels at the top of the ear, the mid
die portion and the seeds ut the large
end, with the result that the middle
seeds Of the ear should alone be
planted to bring to the farmer the
largest yields, other things being
equal. This confirms the experience of
the New England farmers of sixty
years age. He further said that the
farmers need have no fear in their
sowing wheat that had been struck
with rust that it would propagate rust
in their wheat fields, as it you'd not,
as this was production of the
weather and not Of the sown seed
Prof. Boss Of the state farm at st.
Anthony Park spoke about where to
procure the right kind of seed. He
said under ordinary conditions, that
which was grown in any locality and
was proven best suited for that local.
ty, all other conditions being equal,
was what the ordinary farmer should
seed and SOW. He may have it in his
own granary. or procure it from his
neighbors. he said the largest, plump
est kernels from his wheat bins
should be famed out and these only
sown, and If he would improve his
quality and quantity year by year, he
should continue yearly to make this
careful selection and SOW only the
best He spoke of the kind-number
169, if we heard him correctly-which
the state farm has developed from the
sowing of o.e kernel of Blue Stem in
1891. This production of this one ker.
mel has become one of the most valu.
able kinds of wheat grown in the
great Northwest, producing q larger
quantity Der acre than any other
known grade, and averaging a larger
quantity of number one grade; and
further said that the state farm had
none of this wheat now for sale, but
parties to whom it had been sold in
the year past had written the officers
of the state farm how many bushels oi
that kind and grade they had raised,
and any one who would like to buy
some of it for experimentation might
write him or any other Of the officers
Of the state farm at st. Anthony
Park, and they would place them ir
correspondence with those who hai
this seed for sale. BE spoke also of the
necessity of farmers. this year par
ticularly, to prepare proper sded TO,
their spring sowings. It bad beer
proven, over and over again. at The
farm, that where extra pains had
been taken in preparing the fields
those fields produced the larger and
better crop, and farmers will more
than double their gains for all thei,
extra work they may perform in fit
ting their lands IN the very best con
dition possible for their spring SOW
ings and planting.