EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 103 



will inherit the fecundity of the original head. The wheat thus de- 

 veloped, instead of heinji weaker and less able to stand the strain of a 

 severe winter, seems to be stronj>er than the average crop of the same 

 variety, these selected plots present a full stand and a vij^orons ji;rowth. 



The seed wheat yielded in July IIMK; was distributed amono- tlie fann- 

 ers at a low price ]>er Inisliel, and is now widely scattered over the state, 

 the l)uy<Ms aj^reeinii io res<'r-v(^ the yiehls this year loi' sale to their 

 neighbors, ])roviding (he yields arc satisfactory. This same method has 

 been opera te<1 in past years until il is safe to say thai nearly if not 

 (|uite half of the wheat gi-own in the stale <-o!iies l"rom seed which at 

 one time passed throujih the han<ls oi" the experiment station. 



Tn the S]»ri7ig of 10(17 the phase of the work known as plant brwding 

 was developed. Mr. V. A. Sprang, a graduate of this college in the 

 class of 100(5, was chosen to carry forward this important line of ex- 

 periments. He is devoting- himself to the breeding of better strains 

 of wheat, oats, soy beans, cowj)eas, flax for seed, flax for fiber, corn, 

 timothy and alfalfa. Through the courtesy of the farm department of 

 the college all that i)art of field No. 7 lying south of a line drawn 

 east and west ten rods north of the south line of the field, is devoted 

 to this plant breeding, in addition to the plots in use in field No. (i and in 

 No. 3. Mnch attention is being given to white beans and to red kid- 

 neys. The presence of so much anthracnose in the state indicates the 

 need for a more resistant strain. 



It is unfortunate that this station is unable to develo]) the produc- 

 tion of sugar beet seed satisfactorily. For reasons which do not seem 

 easy of explanation, the per cent of sugar in the beets certainly though 

 slowly decreases from the mother beets, as produced from the im])Oi'ted 

 seed. The work has been carried forwjird for many years, and it 

 seems fairly definitely decided that the soil conditions on the station 

 farm are not adapted to the production of beet seed of such qudity 

 that it would be safe to recommend it for use to the factory. 



The growing of pep])ermint is an imjjortant industry in certain parts 

 of Michigan. During 100()-7 a study has been made of the diseases of 

 that crop, and also of the methods of correcting: them, expecting to 

 publish a bulletin in the fall of 1007 setting forth not only the history 

 of the crop in the state, but the method of jiroducing it as well as the 

 enemies which afflict it with suggested remedies. 



So much attention has been attracted to the question of corn growing 

 that during the season of 1006 several large plots were devoted to a 

 study of the fundamentals of the matter. The question was asked the 

 ])lots whether the appearance of the ear had aught to do with its value 

 as seed corn, supposing that the chief value of 'any seed lay in its 

 ability to produce a large yield. IL'O ears were used in this test. 

 The details are reserved for i)ublication later, the general result being 

 that the quality of productivity did not manifest itself in the outward 

 appearance of the ear farther than is included in the statement that a 

 bright, clean ear has greater germination and greater vigor than a tall 

 and somewhat moldy one. The shape of the ear. as to the tip and butt, 

 seemed to have no relation to its productivity. The station felt justi- 

 fied therefore in taking the stand that the best, and perhaps the only 

 successful way to select seed corn, was to ydant one ear to the roAV 

 for one year, and then select for seed the production of the ear giving 



