The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-12-18
Importance Of Good
Seed.
BY ALFRED ATKINSON,
Agronomist, Montana AJri-
cultural College.

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Throughout Montana there is room
for considerable improvement in the
quality of seed grain grown. The eli
mate is such as to produce a high
quality of grain and too frequently
selection, in order that only the best
may be sown, is entirely overlooked.
In a recent publication by the depart
ment of agriculture at Washington a
comparison is made of the price per
bushel of the grains that would actu-
ally terminate in high and low priced
seed as offered on a certain market.
It was found that the high priced seed
quoted at $3.50 per bushel cost actu-
ally $1.65 for seed that would give 100
per CEN germination; while the low
priced seed that was sold at 81 cost
actually a few cents over $45 per
bushel for the seeds that grew. While
this may be an extreme case it Illus
trates what is usually a fact-that low
grade seeds are by far the most ex-
pensive, as our crop comes only from
seeds that grow.
i uC III CdSlu6 VI IuC dluOuuL Vi Tie
seed per acre sown is often resorted
to as a means of offsetting the disad-
vantages of inferior seed. While this
may enable us to get enough good
seed sown, yet the crowding that
zones as a result of the many weak
plants that start from the inferior
seeds seriously handicaps the growing
nr0n AGAIN yvhon onv ncidoro h1o
area Is sown the increased amount Of
seed grain necessary is a factor. In
vestigations have proved that much
better returns are gained from two
bushels of well cleaned seed than
from three bushels of uncleaned Sc ID
grain. This saving of one bushel per
acre would itself OF a %forty-acre field
amount to enough to pay for the
cleaning of the seed, to say nothing
Of the increased yield that comes
when only good seed Is sown.
The belief that seeds deteriorate or
r out" when grown on the same
soil for a number of years is a com
monty accepted one. The 1905 annual
report of the Ontario Experimental
Farm presents some results which all
throw light on this problem. The
same varieties of oats, barley and 20.
tatoes have been grown on that farm
Tor the past sixteen years without the
addition of fertilizers. The seed in
each case was carefully cleaned every
year. The results show that in eve~y
instance there has been a steady in.
crease in the yield. In the case OF
oats the yield increased from seventy
four to 100 bushels per acre, with bar
ley from fifty to sixty-three bushels
per acre, and with potatoes 120 to PAS
bushels per acre. These figures show
quite clearly that it is possible tc
grow the same varieties of grain and
potatoes on the same farm for a con
siderable number of years without
change of seed, provided care is exer
cised each year in the selection of the
seed. They also indicate that t {
running out" of seeds is attributable
to the failure to select carefully rath
er than the fact of being repeated,
grown on the same ground.
The hest time to prepare seed grair
is during the winter months wher
the farm work is not pressing. A
this time the farm help is not fully
occupied during all the hours of thu
day and can devote some of these
idle hours to getting the springs seet
into shape. This reduces the cost tt
= minimum and places the increased
returns from good seed as a clea,
gain, as enough is saved in the amour
OF seed required to pay for the work
It Is not best to wait until spring o.
seeding time is at hand before clean
Ing the seed grain. When this is don,
the rush of spring work too frequentl,
makes it impossible to get the grail
cleaned properly.