Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-18
FARMERS ARE WARNED
AGAINST UNTRUE CLAIMS
or SEED PROMOTERS.

warning to American farmers not
to be misled In their zeal for increas-
ed wheat production, into planting abb
normally high priced seed for which
extravagant claims are made has just
been issued by the United states de-
partment of agriculture.
Wheat is attracting. at the present
time. greater attention than ever
before by Its comparative scarcity and
high price ands the necessity OF
sowing large acreage this fall" says
the department statement. "As might
be expected, therefore. various persons
are offering to the public, varieties that
they describe as far superior to the
kinds now being grown. These varie-
ties are, given some catchy name
and extravagant claims are made for
them.
, IAN example OF, this kind is the Alas
ka. or Seven-headed wheat that was
exploited q few years ago. Tho hackers
OF this wheat did not get very far with
It, however as the post office depart
ment issued a fraud order and their
business came to a standstill. This
type OF wheat having large, branch
ed head has been offered at high prices
to the people OF this country many
times under one name or another. Rec
ords concerning it so back more than
a hundred years. Just now another ex-
ploitation is threatening with the name
Titanic This type OF wheat with
branched heads should be left strictly
alone by the farmers of the country.
"A favorite scheme employed by
those having wheat for sale for which
they wish to obtain exorbitant prices
Is to claim that their variety requires
but a small amount Of seed per acre.
A peck Of seed. twenty pounds and
half bushel per acre, are amounts fire.
puently mentioned. OF course tho
claims Of maximum yields from these
small seedlings are not substantiated
by fact. Only on dry lands or under
very special conditions is the seeding
Of as little as even 45 pounds per acre
OF wheat advisable. On nearly all, OF
the wheat lands OF the country 1t is
more profitable to SOW from a bushel
to two bushels OF seed per acre than
to SOW less than bushel.
THE United States Department OF
Agriculture has shown In previous
publications that the claims of maxim-
UNI yields obtained from sowing ono
or two pecks to the acre OF the wheat
known as 'Stoner. Miracle. or Marvellous
are not substanttated by experiments.
Safe rules to follow In the case Of all
wheats for which such claims are
made are first to SOW as much a. has
been found profitable with other var
ieties In the neighborhood and second,
not to pay high prices for the seed.
Radical claims Of high yields are
made for some varieties of wheat. 1t
Is not uncommon in advertising g. new
variety for an INSCRIPTIONS or unin-
formed promoter to claim yields four
or five times that Of the average yield
Of the country. Claims as high as Is
or more times the average yield have
been made in special cases. Such
claims are absurd and no one need be
misled by them. A well-bred variety
in the section to which 1t Is adapted
may yield few bushels more than the
varieties being commonly grown. Very
seldom indeed can doubling Of the
yield be expected.
Buying seed grown at a great dis
lance from home Is another thing that
wheat growers should be on their guard
against. No wheat grown and bred
for California conditions. for instance.
no matter how good for California, has
been found adapted to the country
cast of the Rockies. California adapt
ed wheats do not succeed east Of that
state. Neither would the wheats adapt
ed to the Atlantic coast or the Missis-
sippi valley succeed in California. In
short. home grown seed should be used
unless the state agricultural expert
ment station or the United States de.
partment OF agriculture advises other-
WISE"