REQUIREMENTS FOB PRODUCING PROFITABLE CROPS. 23 



occasional seasonal disadvantages, to cut the crop for hay instead of 

 allowing it to stand for grain. In such a case beardless wheats may be 

 of more value than bearded ones, though this is not an important matter. 



Seed Improvement by the Grower. 



It is very important that the grain growers of California practice 

 better methods of seed selection. 



SMALL COMPARED WITH LARGE SEED. 



The idea which prevails among some growlers that small, light seed 

 will produce as good crops as large, heavy seed is erroneous. In some 

 instances, under very favorable conditions and if sown at the same rate 

 to the acre according to weight, the small, light grains produce as 

 heavy yields as the large, heavy grains, but the grain is of an inferior 

 grade. The reason for the equality in yield to the acre is largely due 

 to the fact that in the case of the seeding of small, light grains there 

 are many more plants to a given area than when it is seeded with an 

 equal weight of large, heavy grains of the same variety. 



Heavy, plump grain produces stronger and more vigorous plants 

 than light, shriveled grain. The reason for this is that the plump 

 grain contains a larger amount of food for the very young plant. The 

 light, shriveled grain produces w r eak plants. This is a fact w-ell under- 

 stood by all w T ho are endeavoring to improve their crops by careful and 

 practical selection of seed. 



It behooves the grain grower, then, to have at his disposal a sjood 

 fanning mill with which he can grade his seed, blowing out all light, 

 shriveled grain and separating the large grains from the small. An- 

 other advantage in the use of the fanning mill is the separation of the 

 weed seed from the wheat. 



THE SEED PLAT. 



A practical method of improvement of seed, which should be used 

 by every wheat producer in California, is what is known as the seed 

 plat. This method is simple and easily applied. First, select from 

 the general field at ripening time a large quantity of good heads 

 of a single desirable form. Only heads from the best plants should 

 be selected, and they should be from places where the soil is uni- 

 form with other parts of the field and not from an especially fertile 

 spot or at the edge of the field. The heads should be thrashed by 

 hand and the seed sown on well-prepared land free from volunteer 

 •rrain. This crop should be harvested and thrashed separately from 

 the main crop, care being taken that the machinery used is free 

 from all other grains which might cause a mixture. The first por- 

 tion thrashed should be rejected, as it is most likely to contain such 

 a mixture. The grain from the seed plat should be used, as far as 

 it will go, for the general crop the succeeding year. If there is a 

 considerable acreage it may be necessary to continue the seed plat for 

 a second year in order to obtain sufficient seed for the main crop. In 

 order to effect permanent improvement the grower should make these 



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