The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-15
Story About Wheat That Pro-
duces 222 Bushels Per Acre.
Prof. Ten Eyck and Mr.. Coburn
Express The mseives.
SENT TO FARM PAPERS
Story Circulated by Minnesota
Man.
Nearly All Of Them Refused to
Publish 1t.

| A story about new kind of wheat
| which produces 222 bushels sto the
| acre was printed in the last Saturday
Evening Post, and has stirred up the
Kansas farmers considerably.
According to the wheat experts OF
Kansas, there is only one weak point
in this story, and that is the fact that
the wheat isn't any good to make
| -four out of. 1t is the kind of wheat
/ which in Kansas is known as "seven
head wheat" and is fit only for stock
food. There is no way by which it
can be miiled into -four.
In fact, it seems that the Saturday
Evening Post has been led into a
gigantic advertising scheme for some
concern which has seed wheat to sell.
A similar story to the one printed
| IN the Post was sent to every farm
paper in the country, and most of
them refused to print it. The Dro-
vers' Telegram at Kansas City sent the
| story to F. d. Coburn, and asked him
what he thought of it. He replied he
| didn't take any stock in it at all. The
Telegram then informed the parties
who sent them the story that it would
| be printed under the heading "adver-
| uSement" at the rate of 81 per line
and under no other condition.
The Kansas Farmer received a copy
| OF the story, and sent it to Prof. A. M
| Ten Eyck of the Kansas experiment
| station at Manhattan This week the
| Farmer prints this letter which Prof.
| Ten Eyck received from o. F. G. Day,
| the author of the piece in the Post:
A. NJ. Ten Eyck, Manhattan, KAN
Dear Sir: Your letter regarding Mr..
Adams giant wheat received. I am
quite certain that Mr.. Adams would
| not even let a single grain of his
wheat go for experiments. He is a
| peculiar old fellow, and has put in
four years making his own expert
| ments with his wheat by the side of
other. and is perfectly we'll satisfied
! that there is nothing more to learn.
So far as convincing skeptical editors
and stations, he says he doesn't care
rip what they believe.
The fact is, at present Mr.. Adams
isn't able to supply the demand for
his seed and he naturally feels rather
cocky. The only experiment seed I
know of went to the Oregon Expert
ment farm, I believe. Adams sold
them a pound of seed for SIS. I sup
pose they planted that pound last
spring.
Besides. why should he want expert
ments? He has seed that raises
polyanthus heads and repeats itself
Each head has a single long head and
punched to that. from seven to ten
others. making a bunch of heads in
stead of single head on every stalk
That explains the whole thing. Why
need to experiment?
However, you might watch some of
the farmers in your neighborhood
who understand are in a few cases
starting a trial of the seed this fall.
o. F. G. DAY.
To which Mr. Ten Eyck replied as
follows:
Mr.. Oscar F. G. Day, Minneapolis,
Mimi: Dear Sir:-Your wheat story
is too "fishy," and your Mr.. Adams is
altogether too cranky to receive much
attention from those who know any
thing about wheat We do a little
wheat breeding here, and have tested
| the best varieties from all parts of the
| world. You and Mr.. Adams may catch
few suckers but you will not inter-
| est the intelligent farmers, and if you
| really have a good wheat you will not
! introduce it this way. I would much
| rather trust your experiment station
at st. Anthony park for good seed
wheat than Mr.. Adams. and doubtless
most farmers of Minnesota and the
| Northwest are too well posted to be
| caught by your "fishy" advertisement
| You might hire some farm paper to
| publish the article which you sent to
the Kansas Farmer but no reliable
| respectable farm paper would publish
| it even for pay.
We have passed the stage when
those who have good thing are not
| willing to have it tested at our eX-
pertinent stations and moreover the
seed will be gladly furnished free for
| such tests.
You and Mr.. Adams had better start
some other line of business; you are
| behind the times. 1 should certainly
| like to have the names of the farmers
| in our neighborhood who are making
| the tests of your seed wheat.
| A. NJ. TEN EYCK.
| When the attention of F. d. Coburn,
secretary of the state board of agri-
| culture, was called to the article by
Mr. Day in the Saturday Evening
4 Post he said:
| without seeing it with my own
| eyes 1 could scarcely believe the Post
| had printed that wheat article. Moth
| ing more preposterous, of an agricul-
| turaf sort, has ever appeared in print.
| In fact, I didn't suppose there was a
man in America, except my old friend
| Colonel Dave Leahy who could write
such fiction. The author of the arti-
Gle seems to have sent manifold copies
| of it to all the agricultural papers
and perhaps thousands of others, ap-
parently with the expectation that
some Of them would print it. Strange
as II may seem, many of them have
| done so and others will. This, of