The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-09-02

OF SEED GRAIN
THE STATE FARMERS INSTITUTE
BOARD AGITATES MATTER.
ADVICE TO THE ELEVATORS
A NEW PLAN TO HELP FARMERS
AND IMPROVE CROP OUTPUT.

Inc superintendent or the farmers
institute board is sending out the fol-
lowing letter to all farmer elevators
in the state The line companies are
taking up the work and it promises
good results for the state:
/ am trying to- work out plan for
the betterment of the variety and
quality of the different kinds of seed
grains sown and planted in this state.
have studied the matter pretty SER
iously during the past three years,
and while the seed train specials and
the farmers institutes are accomplish.
ing something in this line, have con-
cluded that we reach the farmer eth
er at the season Of the year when he
is most Indifferent about the matter,
that is at the institute in the winter
time; or else with the seed special
train so near the time Of seeding that
he hasn't time to change his seed IL
doesn't feel able to do so at that
time.
In studying this subject it occurred
to me that If we would get the ele-
vator men of the state to take hold
Of the matter during the marketing
season in the fall We might accom-
plish something more than we have
been accomplishing along this line.
With this object in view l wrote
c. w. Van Dusen & Co. letter ask
ing them whether or not my plan
would be feasible and received an i'm
mediate reply advising me that 1t was
perfectly so, and they thought I had
better come to Minneapolis and take
it up with the line elevator compan-
les. Accordingly I went to Mime
apOis last Saturday and arranged
meeting with the representatives OF
the leading companies operating from
there for Monday afternoon. We had
representatives of about twenty or
twenty-five houses present, or express
sed by others where they could not
be there, and the meeting appointed
committee consisting of Mr.. Yates
Of the Van Dusen CO., Mr. Mortz of
the Atlas Co., Mr.. Mcmillan of, I
think, the Mcmillan Co., Mr.. McCaull
of McCaull Webster, and Mr.. Durant
of the Grain Bulletin, to work out
few Of the smaller details, and
take it up with all Of the line eleva-
tors operating in this state and ascer-
tain who would cooperate with them
in the work.
Roughly outlined the plan is this:
Each elevator at station would de-
vote one bin to one variety of seed
grain. The managers of the houses
at this station would get together and
after consultation determine what va
riety of each kind Of grain was the
most profitable to grow in that vicin-
ity. Having done this they would
unite to induce farmers to grow this
particular variety. For instance, in
this state the Sixty Day or Lincoln
or Kerson oat or sometimes called
the Little Yellow Russian, but all the
same little early yellow oat has been
very much the best yielder for Sc
ries of years. In the experiments
conducted by this station they have
given an average Of twenty bushels
more per acre for seven years than
any other variety in the test. One
| year of these seven the late oats beat
them, but on the seven-year average
! they have an annual average of twen-
| ty bushels more to the acre. This
/ is about the condition all over this
state where they are properly put in
| ard sown early. The managers at
the local station would determine what
kind of seed grain each house was to
handle. One taking oats, another bar.
ley, another probably maccarOni wheat,
another blue stem, or possibly In
some localities it would be velvet
chaff instead of maccaroni, while in
others it would be Johnson wheat. But
owing to the fact that these two va
rieties of velvet chaff and Johnson
wheat are Disseminated against by
the millers, and think at least to
a certain extent justly, it is ques-
ton whether it is more profitably to
grow them than blue stem in very
large proportion of the territory of
this state. Conditions, however, vary
in the state and the local managers
will have to work this out as these
conditions to- then, seem to demand
for the best and most profitable re-
suit to the farmer.
In some localities of this state one
house would probably handle max.
After having determined what kind of
grain each house was to handle. they
would then ascertain what farmers