Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-10-27
VALUE OF GOOD SEED WHEAT
KANSAS FARMERS PROFIT BY
SANTA -FE'S WHEAT TRAIN.
Excellent Results from State Aericui-
tural College Lectures in South
west kansas-Great Demand
for Better Seed.

State Agricultural college, has sent a |
great deal of seed wheat into the |
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe country
of southwest Kansas this fall. This
means better wheat in
quality and quantity in that section
next year, and is the direct result of
the wheat train" which theg Santa
Fe sent over it's southwest lines in
August, carrying lecturers on wheat
culture from the state agricultural
college. 1t was an expedition that
cost the company a sum of money
and was not in the immediate line of
a railroad company's business, but If
it adds to the crop production of the
territory covered, which undoubtedly
it will. the reward of the enterprise
will be increased freight receipts and
added population later on, which
mean improved traffic for the COM
pany, and traffic is what all we'll con-
Quoted railways seek.
I'VE have sent from the expert
ment station here a great deal of seed
wheat into that country said Prof.
John H. Miller, superintendent of
farmers institutes and extension
work of the college, who had charge
OF the train, to a reporter to-day.
Requests for seed came so quickly,
following the expedition, that we
know our words fell upon thoughtful
minds, and naturally we are pleased
Added to this, these requests continue
to come in, which also is gratifying
although am sorry to say our supply
of seed is limited. Next year we ex-
pect to be better provided.
Il use the pronoun 'we,' because,
you know, there were four" of US on
the train The lecturers were Prof
A NJ Ten Eyek, professor of agron-
omy and superintendent of the farm,
and his assistant, Prof. V. NJ. Shoe
smith. and Prof. J. T. Williams, pro-
lessor of agricultural chemistry My
duties chiefly were to start the meet
ings and introduce the lecturers. We
had two cars, and in each a professor
spoke, while third addressed the
overflow outside. Afterward, we dis
tributed our literature and the train
moved on We went over the Engle
wood branch and over all the other
Santa F'e lines south of the Arkansas
river. We also went over the Scott
City branch and over other lines
farther east, concluding the weeks
work at Florence. Our meetings uni
formly were large. At Little Rive.
we had $50 people and at Mcpherson
the crowd was so large that we ad
jodrned to the city park. In all, we
had nearly 40 meetings.
I'VE found a great wheat country
that is, a great country for wheat
if the farmers will take advantage o.
it. The country is better than the
wheat it produces. What all whea
countries need is good seed. a gooo
seed bed. and fertile soil. The farm
er cannot maintain soil fertility, M
matter how new his land may be
What a crop extracts from soil mus
be restored. This is no less impor
tant than good seed and a good see,
bed.
Good seed means more than seet
that will sprout and grow. 1t mean
well-bred wheat adapted to the eli
matte and soil conditions of the lo
cality. Crops must be grown ant
bred in the regions where they ar
intended to be grown. Drought-re
sistant crops cannot be produced O
bred in humid regions. Very littl
has been done in the way of breeding
or adapting crops to western farming
conditions.
1T is the business of the severa
Kansas experiment stations to ad
vance. seed selection and propagation
and distribute the production Il
1905 we sold to the farmers 900 bush
els of seed wheat, and this year W
will do better.
Perhaps breeding and improvin
seed and establishing new varietie
may better be left to the experiment
stations, but every farmer, by settin
aside a seed patch may at leas
keep his wheat from deterioratinS an
even improve it by a little care. TIL
first step is to get seed adapted t
his soil and climate. and after tina
to select for the seed patch only tn
longest, heaviest and plumpest grains
How to prepare the seed patel
we told the farmers when we were O
our expedition, and we also told Their
of the value of conserving soil mois
ure and of the great necessity G
maintaining soil fertility. An objec
lesson of the great value of thes
things is a measured acre of whea
grown in 1906 by the agronomy do
partment of the Kansas State Agricu
tural college This one yielded ISL
pounds of grain, or $50 bushel:
Twelve acres of the same field yfeL
ed more than SO bushels per acre.
"A farmer, with his large acreas
and multitude of duties, cannot d
so well as this, but he can do muc
better than an average of fractio
the average in Kansas: and 1 am sur
a..