Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1906-02-08
[By Prof. W. A. Wheeler Of the saSfn Da
kota College and Experiment station. /.

lBy Prof. W. A. Wheeler. Of the sarfn pa
kota College and Experiment Stxtion.l.
In raising crops fol. profit several
factors are to be taken into considera-
tion. One Of the most important
perhaps the most i1npoltant-is the
selection Of the seed. Farmers too
often consider other factors, but dis
regard the selection OF the seed. 4
slight knowledge Of the seed as a
whole, and as made up of parts, is
necessary before considering the pro-
cess Of selection.
seed is made Of Il young, living
plant, q stock Of reserve food material,
and a seed coat or covering surrounds
ing the plant and the food ma terial.
The young plant in the seed is per.
haps the first and most important
part to be considered. The plant is
alive and ready to grow when favor
able conditions are produced. 1t
shows many parts such as the young
leaves, stem and root, which are to
appear later. This part VI tile seed is
usually called the germ and is
plainly visible i'm the grain of corn or
wheat
A large part OF every seed consists
of food material stored up in the seed
during the ripening process. This
food material may be stored within
certain parts Of the young plant or it
my be stored around the young plant,
where it can lie obtained for use when
desired. The amount OF food ma
terial stored within the seed is de-
pendent upon the healthy condition
OF the plant which pro lucei the seed.
Any factor OF factors which tend to
lessen the vigor OF the parent plant
will tend to lessen the amount Of food
material stored Within the seed, and
will also lower the vitality OF the
germ or young plant within the seed.
Any plant disease ~ insect pest
which may njure the parent plant is
liable TO injure the seed produced by
this plant.
The seed coat is simply IA protective
covering for the young plant and the
food material within the seed.
4 When the seed Is placed under favor
able conditions that is, when it has
the right amount of heat, air and
Fit terminates or sprouts. The
sprouting or termination of the seed
is simply the further development of
the young plant in the seed, which Il
just awakening from its dormant con
dilion.
In the first stages of termination
the young plant is entirely dependent
for nutrition upon the food material
which is stored Within the seed. Not
until the young plant has sent out It's
roots into the soil to obtain the sol
waters with their dissolved salts, and
the leaves have expanded into the air
10 obtain the gaseous compounds OF
the atmosphere, is the plant able Il
manufacture its own food materials
for its own growth. Upto this time
the young plant is entirely dependent
upon tile food material stored Within
the grain for its nutrition. AS the
plant gradually becomes able tu care
for itself it gradually uses less Of the
food material, in the grain and finally
becomes able to care for itself.
. AS tile plant depends 50 entirely fo
its early nutrition upon the food mt
terials stored within the seed, it il
apparent that the amount of food ma
terIal IN each seed is of great impor
lance. The larger the amount, th'
better fed and stronger the Seeding il
likely to be, and the better able 1t viii
be to tide over any adverse climatic
or soil conditions during or fullOwin,
termination. As the larger part o
most seeds is reserve food material, i
is plain that the comparative weight
of the seeds represent approximatel.
the comparative amounts of food ma
terials at the disposal Of the younl
plant in germinatiun.
An experiment was conducted u
the greenhouse to determine the vigO
OF growth Of plants from shrunkel
wheat compared with plump wheat
) One hundred grains were taken T.
! each trial. Samples we're taken iron
!, wheat testing from 33 to 81 pound
: per bushe. The wheat was all Of on
J variety and all grown at the Soull
Dakota Agricultural College in 1904
The termination varied from go pc
j cent for the 33-pound wheat to92 pc
. cent for the 53-pound wheat. AS
measure OF vigor Of growth, measure
ments we're taken uf the height an,
!. diameter of shoot. Ten plants Wer
( measured for eacn lot and the averae
I taken. In height the difference bs
{ tween 33-pound whe tt' and 53-poun'
I wheat, Is days after sowing, was on
: inch The diameter u sboot var e