The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-11-18
IMPROVE YOUR GRAIN SORCHUMS.

gent selection OF kaiir, milo, fetefita
aud sorghum in the field for seed in
crcases the yield fully one third az
compared with the methods in com
mon use. says Mr. H. NJ Banner
agricultural demonstrator for the San
Is Fe Railway Co
Mr. Banner has expressed a thought
with which practically every farmer
IN Beaver County will agree, for It il
both scientific aud FUN Of common
aeuse, and still not ono half oI one
per cent of Beaver County farmers
have ever selected their seed for plant
ing in the manner indicated, or In any
other manner. for when asked about
It, they nearly all admit that they
either get their seed from the thresh-
ed grain in the bin or pick It out ot a
pile that has been aaved IN the heap
| for feed,
The net result Of this unfortunate
practice il that the vast majority OF
our farmers are getting not more than
three fourths as much threshed grain
from their fields as they could get with
the same amount Of care and cultivs.
tlon they are giving them
The A, 4 NJ. College, Of Oklahoma
has prepared standard for selecting
seeds Of all the grain sorghums, and
this standard IA based upon the best
| knowledge TO he had in the State As to
the particular types Of heads that have
produced the best yields under actual
field conditions This information is
available for every farmer in Beaver
County, aud it certsirly should be IN
every farmers hauds, for under pres
ent methods our grain sorghums are
not only failing TO yield as they should
but are gradually growing poorer each
year, SO that it ia not difficult TO pre-
dict the outcome unless there is some
effort made TO improve and standard
i1e our seeds for planting.
lu the first place IL ia beat to start
with the best seed YOU are able to get.
II your own field does not show a high
percentage Of desirable stock for seed,
look over your neighbors field and see
what he has, ard # his is any better,
effect trade with him aud 60 into his
Geld and select your seed, Any man
can select enough seed TO plant his
entire crop next year if he will take a
sack into the field and work at seed
selection for half day, and | know Of
no way in which he could employ that
amount Of time TO auy better advsn-
tage Don't get the idea that you can
breed out all Of the undesirable quail.
ties in your kstir or milo by selecting
your seed for one or two years, for
these same undesirable qualities have
been many years in getting into your
seeds and are likely TO take about an
equal time to breed out, even under
the most favorable circumstances
Remember also that all OF the grain
sorghums are different varieties OF the
same plant aud will therefore mix read.
lily # given the chance. For this rea-
son, select your seed of any given vari.
ETY. IN some part OF the field IA far
removed "a possible from another field
where different variety is growing,
In general it has been proven that
the high yielding heads OF kaiir are
those that grow close and compact
with the center stem extending to or
nearly TO the tip Of the head anyone
knows that the more joints or sections
where the seed stems are attached to
the main stem given head hau, the
more bearing or seed growing surface
II will have, hence il is best TO select
heads with the largest number OF such
Joints possible. An examination of the
heads in your field will show that the
lumber OF joints will vary in different
heads from three or four TO seven or
eight, and have seen some heads with
ten such Joints The general stand
ard in selecting kstir seed il to take no
head having less than Ave such Joints.
II you can tind those having sir or sew
en- or more, 30 much the better.
see that the seed stems are well set
with grain, fora head may have many
Joints and many seed stems, but only
few grains out at the end OF each
stem, thus producing head that looks
large, but on examination shows to be
loose and bushy sou viii thresh out q
correspondipgly small amount of grain
keeping the above general direct.
ions in mind, select the earliest matur-
ing heads and those growing on the
type OF stalk desired, aud you will soon
begin to see better yields of ksiir on
your farm,
] have on hand q limited number Of
bulletins from the Experiment Station
at saltwater that deal exhauatiyei,