216 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



has become the leading white pea bean variety. Wolverine, Worthy and Col- 

 lege Success oats are the best known varieties in the State. Nearly all of the 

 Smooth Awn barley is sold annually for seed. These varieties are all associa- 

 tion varieties secured from the Michigan Experiment Station. This developed 

 machinery is proving ideal for the quick increase on safe grounds of the 

 Hubam clover. 



Assistance has been given to the county agents in working out definite 

 crops for each county. During the past year special attention has been 

 given to exhibits both in the State and at the International Grain and Hay 

 Show. Thirty-two counties have asked for special exhibits in addition to the 

 two State Fairs. 



The variety demonstrations held at many points throughout Michigan, 

 pave the way for the safe introduction of high yielding varieties or new 

 crops. These demonstrations not only add greatly to information regarding 

 crops, but are used repeatedly by county agents as field demonstrations 

 and are the object of numerous field trips. 



The Michigan Crop Improvement Association continues to be a very active 

 arm of the Farm Crops Extension Service in Michigan in raising the seed 

 standards and furnishing a supply of seeds of superior and adaptable varieties. 

 Through the cooperation of the Farm Crops department, State Farm Bureau, 

 county agents and cooperative elevator managers, the Association is serving 

 nearly every section of the State, and in addition to Michigan farmers it is 

 in direct contact with many farmers of New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, 

 Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alberta, etc. 



The membership of the Association is somewhat larger than last year with 

 a total of 712 registered seed farms which are located throughout the agri- 

 cultural sections of the State. 



The efficiency of these seed farms and the quality of their product was 

 clearly demonstrated at the 1920 International Grain and Hay Show held at 

 Chicago. In competition with the United States and Canada, members of 

 the Michigan Crop Improvement Association won the first twenty-eight prizes 

 offered in the rye class and fourteen of the first twenty prizes in the soft 

 winter wheat class. In addition to these several prizes were won in oats, 

 soy-beans, barley, etc. 



In February the Farm Crops department of the Michigan Agricultural Col- 

 lege distributed 1,598 pounds of the Hubam Clover (Annual White Sweet Clo- 

 ver) to 580 members of the Association to be grown for seed purposes under the 

 supervision of the department, and in accordance with the regulations of the 

 Association. At the present time there are 1,200 acres of the crop growing 

 in Michigan which will furnish seed, the origin, purity and quahty of which 

 are known and will be certified and guaranteed. 



The widespread use of Rosen Rye of high purity has played a fundamental 

 part in advancing Michigan from the fourth place to the first place in the rye 

 production of the United States. Improvement is being made with Rosen seed 

 by the adoption of the head selection practice. This year eight growers 

 followed this system with the result that there are now 1,700 bushels of seed 

 available for planting this fall which in accordance with the past results 

 should yield five to ten bushels more per acre than even the best of registered 

 Rosen. It is thought that this seed placed on Michigan's half million acres 

 annually devoted to rye, will produce an increase in production of two million 

 bushels. 



In 1920 nearly ten thousand pounds of alfalfa seed were placed in farmers' 

 hands throughout the State for demonstrational purposes. The results 



