Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-05-01
Maintaining the Quality and
Purity of Seed Wheat.
BY PROF. A. NJ. TEN EYCK.


BY PROF. A NJ TEN EYCK
During the last four years the
Kansas Experiment Station has
distributed some eight thousand
bushels of well bred, hard red
winter wheat of the best prOduc-
ling varieties. Among these are
the Kharkof Malakoff, Improved
Turkey etc. This wheat has
been redistributed by the farm
erS and sown in larger areas, and
fields of it are growing in practl-
cally every county of the State,
the total acreage aggregating
some 100000 acres. The tests
at the Station and reports from
farmers prove that this wheat is
of greater yielding capacity and
harder and purer and of better
quality than the wheat generally
grown, hence it is important
that the farmers who are grow
ing this wheat take great care
in keeping the wheat pure in
order to continue the distribut-
ion of this improved Seed-wheat
and at the same time maintain
the yield and quality of the
wheat grown on their own farms.
There are several factors
which cause deterioration of
wheat, and one of the principal
of these is the mixture or cross
ing of wheat of different strains
or varieties. The improved
wheat which has been distribut-
Station is not absolutely pure in
variety or type, but these varie-
ties are much purer than the
average wheat of the country,
and this purity must be main
tanned if the good qualities of
this wheat are to continue. One
of the principal sources of mix
ing is from volunteer wheat
year after year. In order to
keep the wheat pure and of good
quality, the crop for seed should
always be grown in a field free
fl ON volunteer wheat. This
necessitates rotation, preceding
the wheat with some other crop
such as oats, barley, or corn and
in order that the fertility of the
soil be maintained by such rota-
ton the legumes and grasses
should be included If it is
necessary to sow wheat after
wheat, great care should be TAX
en- to destroy the volunteer
growth as far as possible by
early blowing and frequent cul-
tiyation before seeding, or by
disking Immediately after har-
vest in order to start the volun-
teer wheat, which may be des-
troyed later by blowing.
Again, wheat may become
mixed in the harvesting or shock
ing. This is especially apt to
occur when the farmer is intro
ducing the wheat planting it,
usually in small areas. Care
should be taken to plant the pure
seed in a separate field, or if the
wheat is planted in field with
other wheat narrow alley
should be left between varieties
so they may be harvested seper-
ately. Wheat does not cross
fertilize like corn or sorghum,
and the varieties may be planted
near each other without mixing
except through carelessness in
harvesting. There is some dan
ger, however, that when two
varieties of wheat are planted
thus in the same field that mix
ing may occur by heavy rains
washing the seed of one part of
the field to another. Also a
heavy wind may blow seed of one
variety from one field to another.
Another common source of
mixing is in threshing If two
or more varieties of wheat are
grown on the same farm, it is
advisable to thresh some other
grain after threshing one variety
of wheat. or if no other small
grain is grown on the farm,
great care should be taken to
clean out the separator before
threshing the pure wheat, and
then it would be well to send the
first load or two of the pure seed