Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-03-02
FIG x1u-eooD AND BAD TYPES OF SEED

FIG xIu-aooD AND BAD TYPES OF SEED
WHEAT.
Mote the shriveled, shrunken condition
of the kernels to the right
selecting plump seed Is that the result
ing crop is likely to be Of better quail
lty and will thus bring higher price
when sold. The old law Of like pro-
duces like" applies to plant as we'll as
animals. One of the surest ways Of
bringing about improvement is by US
ing parents Of the desired type year
after year.
Selecting seed according to size by
screening out the small grains Is not
enough. Some of the largest grains
are shriveled and light in weight.
The only way to separate these is to
use plenty Of wind in the tanning
mill so as to blow them over. Such
grains are all right for feed, but are
entirely out Of place in the seed bin.
This method Of selection Is especially
important in the case Of wheat, as 1t
separates the hard from the soft
grains to some extent since the soft
ones are lighter. Hardness is an i'm
portant factor to look after, since a
hard wheat is much more valuable
for milling purposes, making a larger
arxount Of high grade flour.
II the most value Is to be obtained
from the selection Of seed some def
mite plan Of improvement must be fol-
lowed. BY a little care variety OF
wheat or oats may be so bred up as to
increase the yield from ten to twenty
bushels per acre. The work Is a small
item as compared with the benefits.
In starting the work Of breeding the
variety which does best in your par
ticular locality should be selected. Go
into the field just before harvest time
and select forty or fifty Of the best
heads. In doing this the size and
plumpness Of the grain and the length
of the head should be considered. This
latter point has a great deal to do
with the yield, since q long head OFTEN
contains twice as much grain as
shorter one. The character OF the
straw is also important. 1t should be
straight and strong, with no tendency
to rust, as a weak straw or one that Is
badly rusted cannot hold up a heavy
head Of grain. Another point to notice
Is the stooling-that Is, the number OF
stalks that grow up from one seed.
When the required number Of such
heads have been found they should be
put away in a dry place until spring,
when they should be thrashed out sep
arately and planted in a little plot In
the garden. The seed from each head
should be sown in a row by itself.
The rows should be about four inches
apart and the plants the same dis
tance apart in the row.
AS harvest time comes on great
difference in these rows will be no.
ticed. Some will be badly affected
with rust. Some will have weak straw
and will go down badly. Some will
have short heads containing but few
grains EACH A few Of the rows Will
contain plants and heads of the type
you are looking for. Select the best
heads from these rows to plant in next
years plot.
The second year, If the first years
selection was properly carried on, con-
siderable improvement will be obserV-
ed. This year the seed from each OF
the strongest rows should. be saved In
bulk after sorting out any heads that
are not of the required type. The seed
from each Of these rows Is to be plant
ed in a little plot by itself the folloW-
ing spring.
Notes on these plots regarding the
strength of straw, amount of stooling
and resistance to rust should be care
fully kept. The main point to be con-
sidered, however, is the yield. Inc
grain from each of the plots should
be weighed and the preference given
to the heaviest yielders. Seed from
five or six of the best producing plots
may then be saved for larger plots the
fourth year. The yield Of these, to-
eether with the quality of grain and
strength of straw, will determine
which strain is to be selected for HELD
use.
A factor which often cuts of as
much as 10 per cent from the yleio OF
small grain is smut. Unlike rust, the
treatment Of this disease comes more
under the head of preparation Of the
seed than that of selection. 1t may De
well, however to give brief outline
of the methods Of prevention here.
Smut is a fungus growth-that is' a
low form of plant which lives on other
plants. 1t usually attacks the heads
of small grain, filling the place where
the kernels should be with olack'
worthless mass. The black dust OF
which this mass is made is comprised
largely of spores, which correspond
to seeds of higher plants. These spores
become scattered over the SEED III
thrashing and storing. In the spring.
when the grain sprouts, the smut
spore terminates also and sends a tiny
thread up through the stem to the
head. where it develops into the famil-
lar smut ball. Often these smut balls