The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-03-29
SPRING WHEAT.

are striving to better farm and crop con-
ditions by timely advice. the Nye-Schnei-
der-Fowler Co. comes to the front with a
circular relative to seed wheat Not as
an advertisement of the firm but because
it seems to contain the right kind of ad-
vice we reprint aportion of the circular
for the benefit Of our readers.
Plump, good-colored kernels, Of good
weight, selected from grain which matur-
ed in rust-infected field, would, in all
probability, prove better seed in every
way than new grain brought from a
distance and possibly grown under soil
and clamatic conditions very different
from your own.
Light, shrunken or weak seed of any
kind should Eever be sown. 1t makes no
difference how the injury to the seed is
brought about, whether by hot winds,
wet weather. frost, animal or vegetable
parasites, burning" in the stack or bin,
or any other cause. If inferior seed be
sown, good crop cannot reasonably be
expected.
Continuous growth of wheat on the
same kind of soil or under like climatic
conditions does not cause degeneration
but on the contrary, if proper care is
taken in the culture, and seed selection
and the seed be kept pure and soil fertility
maintained. wheat grown for long term
of years in any given locality should be-
come, with each added year. better
adapted 10 the conditions peculiar to that
locality.
Importation of seed from distance
should be resorted to only when it is i'm
possible to obtain suitable seed near
home
Do Not Sow Smutty Seed.
Formaldehyde has proven to be the
most satisfactory medium so far discover
ed to free seed from the smut spores. 1t
is used as follows: Make solution of
liquid formaldehyde (the druggist may call
it 40 per cent formaldehyde" J, using at
the rate of one pound to forty five gallons
of water Put the wheat in pile on the
barn floor. Sprinkle the pile thoroughly
with the solution and shovel over.- Leave
the grain piled for two or more hours aud
then repeat the sprinkling and shoveling
process until you are quite sure that all
the3grains have become wet, when the
wheatmay be sacked or piled until the
next. day.H the grain is very smutty it may
be dipped!in the solution. and dipping is
sure to be effective Do not leave it piled
longasnoughte,get hot. Dip bags in the
soAatienubefore saokingsthe treated seed.
The dill esA9uld be 'sstn,so sow more of
the sysllsd.seedo than /. you, would sow of
drNe aQne canodetaEm7aiipe hoy much by
measuring cbefaEs treating, and again
wheRtGsadY TO, seeds aEeFmaldehyde:, is
said by ehawists,to he nQnrppisqnops, /, !,
'Quksaieetisss. and bshis farmers CONCUR
in, the belief that the failure Of farmers to,
selectapd USE, only their ,best, grain, for
seed isylargelg accountable fqr the fact,
that wheat growing becomes Improbable
fifteen or twentNyeaEs after the land i is
prokeniuP III .. ~ enaiiSoiluais a An
Rotate your crops. In some foreign
countries, notably France, where wheat
has been grown for centuries. the, wheat
yield per acre is today probably twice as
great as it is in Minnesota. and the,
Dakotas. Selection of seed, rotation of
crops and manure have made this possible
Do now whatever is necessary to pre-
pare for seeding. Clean and sack the seed
and clean, repair and oil the seeders.."