Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1906-02-01
A SURPRISE TO EVERYBODY.
So Much Useful and Practical lnfor-
nation Could he Crowded into so
Short a Period of Time-the Meet
ing was Pre-Eminently
successful.

The good seed special arrived in this
city Wednesday morning. The party
arrived at the court house at 10:40 and
found the court room filed to its full
capacity. By order of Judge Mccoy
court took IA recess until 1:30.
The following constituted the party
on the specialtrain: E. @. Parker,
Minnesota Agricultural College, St,
Anthony Park; Prof. w. A. Wheeler,
Botanist, Brookings Agricultural Col
lege, South Dakota; f. L. McVey, Prof.
of Political Economy, University of
Minnesota; Prof. John A.. Cole, Agri-
culturalist, Brookings Agricultural Col
lege, South Dakota; j j. Quinn, Secre-
tary Tri State Grain Dealers Association
in charge Of the train.
States Attorney Sears introduced Prof
Parker, who delivered a very instruc-
tive and comprehensive address on seed
grains, using charts to illustrate the
different kinds of seed, as to form size
weight, the terminating qualities, the
plant in the different stages of growth,
explaining simple and practical tests as
to termination and the amout of seed
to be used according to the test.
He then took up the question of smut
in wheat, giving several methods of
treatment, aud kinds of treatment, lac
pr|ononncing the formaldenyde solution,
as the best in his Judgment, but cant
Toned his auditors TO be sure and get the
forty per cent formaldehyde and use a
mixture of one pound to forty-fve gal
Ions of water.
He advised treatment and thorough
cleaning of all seed to be sown, testing
of seed as TO termination avoidance of
mixed grain or the planting of two
varieties of the same kind Of grain, and
said the best results would be obtained
from seed grown in the immediate
vicinity of where the seed is to be used,
everything else being equal.
Scientific examination aud teses have
proven beyond all question that the
spores of smut cannot be communi-
Gated from the soil but attached to the
seed, and in closing Professor Parker
said if the farmer would only study the
e Efficiency of the formuldehyde treat
ment in preventing smut in grains none
would be sown without it.
Professor Wheeler, of Brookings, fol-
loved Prof. Parker, he devoted the time
allotted to him in answering questions,
and explaining various methods Of test
ing and selecting seed.
One question was as to the ACCESSIBILITY
of planting seed corn from Iowa and
Nebraska in Day county. His advice
was TO secure seed as near home as
possible, aud he discussed this propo-
sition at some length. Another ques-
ton was is it advisable to use the tips
and butts of ears of seed corn. The
answer was no. Not from any lack Of
termination but from the fact that the
kernels on the butt are much larger
and those of the tips much smaller by
using them all together you would get
an uneven stand, one stalk IN a hill,
three in another, and probably six or
eight in another.
The speaker contemplated the next
question and answered ii without the
asking. Said there was no danger OF
raising all butts, or all tips, or all mid
dies by the planting. The discussion
brought out the fact hat the Hon.
Peter Holmquis traised an average of
forty bushels of corn per acre last sea-
son on his farm in Kidder township.
In reply to the question as to the pro.
per time for planting macaroni wheat
just the same as other varieties, there
are probably as many varieties Of maca-
rons wheat as of other kinds.
We expected to give the remarks of
both speakers in full having made an
arrangement with Court S~tenographer
Granger, who took them In shorthand
but was called 70 Aberceen and did not
have time to transcribe the notes
VIZ would have given . more extern
sive writeup o. the meeting but Is there
VA An abundance Of hterature distri-
buted Is IL mseting which fully
oovers re sub3sot md can - cb&aiued
Nv addrpsaing : roqnest - ~ Aoxjcul.
latal eolIego - Dsookings. 49, II