The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1930-03-05
Minnesota Seed Special Train Here This
Morning; Ouer 400 Attend Demonstrations

speakers in turn, including Ralph F.
Grim, extension agronomist and gen.
eral chairman of the seed train COM
mittee, F. R. Inner, corn breeding
specialist, L. B. Bassett, farm man.
agement specialist, and R. C. Rose,
plant disease specialist, all represent
ing the department of agriculture
staff at University Farm; and Frank
S. McCabe, representing the Chicago
and Northwestern railway, St. Paul.
Other prominent persons present
with the train at Redwood Falls were
DR.. Andrew Boss, vice director of the
Minnesota Agricultural Experiment
Station; H. Neal, farm machinery
specialist, and C. C. Allison, plant dis
ease specialist, both of University
Farm; R. P. Woodward, chairman of
the Northwest Crop Improvement as
ISOLATION, Minneapolis; R. H. Black,
grain Investigations specialist, Unit
ed States Department of Agriculture,
Minneapolis; Herman ]. Wagon, di-
vision freight and passenger agent,
Chicago and Northwestern, Winona;
C. A. Seely, district agent, Mankato;
and c. F. Prescott, trainmaster,
Tracy.
Mr.. Sumner in his opening remarks
pointed out that it was not the object
of the seed special to promote an in
crease in the total production of
crops, but rather to increase yields
per acre and the quality of grain pro-
duced, or in other words to increase
the efficiency of the individual farm
er. The agricultural surplus cannot
be overcome satisfactorily through
carelessness or inefficiency on the
part of the Individual farmer, he said.
Taxes and other overhead expenses
must be paid and this requires that
the farmer produce as much as pos
sible from his time, labor, land and
equipment.
Mr.. McCabe stated that the rail-
way was interested in bringing the
seed special to Redwood county farm
ers as a means of helping them to
improve their crops, thereby benefit
ing both themselves and the railroad
which is dependent upon them for its
business.
Mr.. Inner dealt with the new
corn breeding methods used by the
experiment station in developing hy-
brid varieties, of corn which yield II
to Is per cent higher than the best
standard varieties and mature week
or more earlier. He used charts to
show how inbreeding of corn by ar
tificial pollination for several genera
tions enables the plant breeder to
eliminate weakness and abnormalities
such as lodging, barren stalks and
other undesirable characteristics at
the same TIME definitely fixing the
inheritance factors in the strains thus
built up, so that seed from such
strains will produce plants that are
absolutely uniform in every respect.
The process involves three distinct
steps,. Mr.. Inner pointed out. First,
the productioniof pure inbred or
"selfed" lines, so-called because they
have been self-pollinated for several
generations; Second, crossing of two
selfed lines to produce frst-genera-
ton crosses, and third, crosses which
are to be used as seed by farmers.
The object of the process, Mr.. Inn
mer explained, is simply to give the
corn breeder the control of both the
male and the female parentage of his
corn plants the same as the livestock
Continued on page twelve)