The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-09-14
progressive Farmer.)

in regard 10 the DTeedlnS ana I'M
movement of the seed of corn and
cotton, there has been little said about
the Improvement of the seed of wheat
and oats.
With these crops the farmer is not
in a position to do real breeding work,
though much has been done, and more
can be done, by experts in this line
of work. But the farmer can do a
great deal in maintaining the charac-
ter of the seed of the small grain he
soWS. | was attending a county fair
in Maryland this week and was much
Interested in the samples of wheat
exhibited. Unfortunately. even the
best samples this season are poorer
than usual owing to the unfaVOrable
season ana the attacks of rust which
damaged the foliage and, of course,
prevented the full development Of the
grain. But csen under these unfa-
VOrable conditions there was a great
difference in the various samples of
wheat shown, even Of the same varie-
ties. Samples shown by a wheat
grower, whose main business is the
production of seed wheat, showed
what intelligent care of the seed could
do eve in a bad season.
He had samples of the DietZ. of the
Currill. and of the old Fultz. The
Fultz showed the effects of the sea-
son worse than others, and it is evil
dent ia the bearded wheats are to
be more grown hereafter. for the
greatest damage to the yield this sea-
son was done by the hard rains that
spoiled the flowers at blooming time,
and this was worse with the bald
headed wheats than with those
bearded.
But it was evident that care in the
selection of the seed has had a great
effect on the quality Of the crop. The
Dietz wheat grown by this seed
or,y-ar uaS RON rL,a h1V heavy even
this season. while samples of the
same pains with the selection of the
seed were light in weight.
/ was at the farm of this seed
grower and noted the care used IN his
amin mill. The fan was on an up
0er floor. and below there were four
chutes coming down. The first one
delivered a mixture of light weeds and
grass seeds; the second, light shrlV-
olled wheat for chicken feed; the
third. what he called milling wheat,
- fairly clean sample of wheat, ana
the fourth. delivered only the largest,
heaviest and plumpest grain-hls SEED
wheat. He said that some M
were buying his milling wheat ana
claiming that they sowed his Wheat,
and he stopped that ana refuses 70
sell this except to millers, as he did
not want to risk his reputation on
any but his best wheat, and in better
seas0ns he usually makes 40 10 40
bushel per acre.
Now. while few m Will go 10
the extreme are that this MAJ does,
or will have as complete machinery
for the purpose as he he has, any one
r2n prepare his seed far better than
:. the usual custom. The RAINING
-aitI properly used will enable any one
-, GET the heaviest seed for his SOW
rg. and can be made to clean 1t, TOO,
rom the worst weeds. Take a sam
IL Of oats as usually bought, and in
fany cases YOU will find what an or
,tnary observer would call clean oats.
ut the man who knows seed will
-.,n carefully at it and will find small
r4ry. and he will know these to be
.h-a1 seed, and if the grain is sown,
r. iii find that it has turned TO
trtlt' in the spring, when 1t was
tr4ai all the time from seed to head
. Now. use the fan thoroughly on
that sample, and you can blow out
:n these seed as we'll as many OF the
Inter weed seed. With screens prop
XIV arranged and the fan energet1-
t-Iiy blown, any farmer can p
{. much cleane sample OF SEED than
-; commonly sown. 1t is far better
70, i!3v out the light seed than to
..~ them to produce weak plants.
". want the land occupied only by
she strongest plants, and the strongest
plants are produced only by the best
developed seed.
Any one, with even the common
fan. will be surprised to find now
small q percentage of the wheat put
into the fan will be Of the heaviest
lass. But it pays we'll to sacrlhce
tho inferior seed and SOW only Tue
n!umDest and heaviest grain. You
VII have less winter-killing OF the
cats If you SOW only h heaVfeSl
2raiu. for the strongest plants Will be
~nrOGUced and these, of course, are
better able to resist the cold than the
weak plants grown from light SEED.
The cheat seed that you SOW are
never Winter-killed, for they are laI
harder than the oats. and they may
deceive Won with something green