The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-07-08

good farmers in the neighborhood
were not growing the wonderful
wheat.
This investigation was followed by
a warning notice from the department
and also by a fraud order from the
Postotfice Department against the ad
vertising material circulated by the
company. In spite of this fact, how
ever, another campaign was begun in
1909, and in 1915 the wheat was ac-
tually placed on exhibition at the
Panama Pacific Exposition. Last year
also the same wheat was offered for
sale at 81 bushel under the name of
Egyptian .seven-headed wheat. At
other times this wheat has been sold
as Eldorado, Many-headed. Many
spiked, Multiple headed, Reed, Smyr-
ma, Syrian and Wild Goose.
The claims made by the promoters
of the "Stoner" or Miracle" wheat
are fully as exaggerated, though less
romantic, than those of the Alaska
advocated. The Stoner wheat belongs
to the soft red winter wheat common
ly grown in the eastern United States
from the Atlantic coast to the Missis-
sippi River. According to its discov-
erer, in the spring of 1904 he noticed
a large bunch of grass in his garden
which. when headed, proved to be
wheat. 1t had 142 stems or tillers,
and he became convinced that it's re-
markable tillering capacity would
make it very wonderful wheat. The
three great advantages which he as
serted that this wheat possessed Wee
Q) that it would outyield any other
variety anywhere; (2) that it sent up
more stems from one seed than any
other variety of wheat; and (3) that
20 pounds of seed per acre produced
the maximum yields while other var
ieties required 100 pounds.
These assertions were Investigated
by the Department of Agriculture in
much more extensive experiments
than it made with the Alaska wheat.
These tests show that the Stoner
wheat is not so good as some of the
wheats now grown in the eastern half
of the United States, but is somewhat
better than others. On the whole. it
is of average value. In comparative
tests. however, it has never outyield-
ed all other varieties and many Of
these varieties have surpassed it.
Common varieties have exceeded it in
the number of stalks on a plant. AS
for the rate of seeding the tests show
that yields of this variety are increaS-
ed when Sown at rates of seeding
higher than those advocated by the
promoters.
The discoverer desired to have his
wheat rie'l out on large scale in the
Mississippi Valley. Early in 1908,
however, a Philadelphia promoter took
charge of the matter, but later trans
ferred his interest to a grain company
in Chicago. Various plans were pro-
posed for growing the new wheat that
do not appear 20 have been carried out
to any extent at least. The Chicago
company became involved in a con-
troverSy with State officials in Kan
sas in the fall of 1908 and thereafter
appears to have dropped the project.
That same year, however, the wheat
was widely advertised in Indiana I'M
der the name of Marvellous" and
under this name extravaganza claims
are still being made for it. In 1911
advertisements in Brooklyn announc-
ed that Miracle wheat" as it WAS
then called. was the fulfllment of a
biblical prophecy and that, with the
aid of irrigation financed by Wall
Street millionaires. the arid West was
to be made to produce large crops Of
it and spineless cactus.
In publishing these facts in its new
bulletin the Department of Agricul-
ture wishes to point out to farmers
that the Government Investigators
have never been able to find the slight
est reason for supposing that either
Of these wheats is in any way superior
10 the commercial varieties common
ly grown. The only explanation of
their promoters extravagant preten-
sions is the necessity for finding some
excuse for charging exorDitant prices
for seed. Farmers who contemplate
the purchase of wheat seed at unusual
prices are advised to communicate
first with their State agricultural ex-
pertinent station or with the Depart
ment of Agriculture, at Washington.