The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1912-06-12

"A gOOu milling wheat Sh0uld bt
fairly hard and the grains uniform
in hardness, color, size and shape,
Such wheat will make the larges,
percentage of high grade -four and
will command the highest prices,
The first step in producing wheat
having these qualities is to procure
a variety which, in addition tc
yielding heavily and having the
necessary stiffness of straw to
stand up we'll, has the required
hardness of grain to be acceptable
for milling purposes. There is
considerable variation among diff.
ferent varieties in this respect, and
the reader is referred to Bulletin
No. 155 of this Station for a dis
cussion Of the relative values oil
our most common varieties.
After the variety is secured,
maintaining the uniformity OF
grain is largely question of keep.
ing the variety pure. 1t is mani
festly impossible to have uniform
ity where there is a mixture OF
varieties, for the grain of different
varieties of wheat differs in char
acter. Wheat is practically self
fertilized plant, and crossing be-
tween varieties will not occur to
any appreciable extent even under
the most favorable conditions. for
such crossing. Thus mixing of
varieties is due almost entirely to
mechanical means. The travelling
threshing outfit is the chief factor
concerned in this, because consid-
cradle quantities of grain are car
ried from one farm to another in
the separators. No matter how
pure variety is to begin with, it
will become mixed in few years
unless extraordinary precautions
are taken to prevent it. AS a re-
suit it is almost impossible to find
a variety of wheat absolutely free
from admixtures of other varieties.
The plan described below is one
which has heen found entirely
practical and efficient in producing
pure seed wheat. In addition, it
is wheat breeding in its simplest
form and a variety of wheat han
died in this manner is certain to
maintain its excellence.
Go into the field of ripe wheat
with a basket and select enough of
the best heads, true to the variety,
to make sufficient grain to plant an
acre or so the next fall. The
amount selected will of course
vary with the wheat acreage on
the farm. Carefully dry and
thresh by hand. In the fall treat
for smut as described in Bulletin
No. '155 and plant on the best OF
the wheat land. Take precautions
to keep from mixing when har-
vested, and thresh after the main
crop is threshed, discarding the
first bushel or so, as it contains
wheat from the previously thresh-
ed crop. This wheat should be
absolutely pure and will furnish
sufficient seed to plant the main
crop the next fall.
For the farmer who wishes to sell
seed wheat which he can guarantee
to be absolutely pure, it will be
we'll to repeat this selection each
year. although if practiced every
two or three years the variety
should become but slightly mixec
if care is taken to set aside the
first few bushels when beginning
the threshing.
Another method of keeping ,
variety pure, which may be NOR,
easily followed, is to go over :,
small plot in a general field anC
carefully cut out all heads of for
eign varieties. Cut and thresh tn,
wheat from this plot by hand anC
use for the seed plot as in case O.
the head selection described above
1t is advised not to attemp
growing too many varieties on |
farm, as this greatly increases thu
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