THE STATION FOR PLANT BREEDING AT SVALOF, SWEDEN. 



David G. Faikchild, 



Agricultural Exjjlorer of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



In connection with an expedition for plant introduction the writer 

 had the pleasure in the summer of IJJOO of visiting the Station for 

 Plant Breeding at Svalof, Sweden. This station is so unique and 

 promises so much for the agriculture of Sweden that it is worthy the 

 serious consideration of x^merican agriculturists. 



The object of the station is the development V)y systematic breeding 

 and selection of new, better, and more productive varieties of agricul- 

 tural plants. So far, it has confined its attention to the improvement 

 of wheat, oats, rye, barley, peas, and vetches. 



The institution is the outcome of private enterprise and owes its 

 origin to the farsightedness and liberality of B. Welinder, a wealthy 

 landowner of the province of Schcinen. Mr. Welinder became con- 

 vinced, through his travels in Germany and England, of the impor- 

 tance to agriculture of cultivating the best varieties of cereals; and in 

 188-1, or thereabouts, he imported into South Sweden and grew on his 

 own estate a number of ditfcrent foreign varieties of grain. Among 

 this number was the Scottish variety of wheat known as Square Head. 



Mr. Welinder distril)uted seed of this Scottish sort among his neigh- 

 bors, who discovered upon growing it that with the same amount of 

 labor they were harvesting nearly 2,000 kg. per hectare of this new 

 variety, instead of 1,200 kg., the ordinary 3'ield of wheat. 



The success of this introduction, together with other arguments, 

 induced Mr. Welinder to form in 1886 the South Swedish Society for 

 the Breeding and Selection of Seeds. In this he was heartily seconded 

 by Freiherr F. G. Gyllcnkrook and other large landowners of the 

 province of Schonen. The object of this society was to raise the 

 standard of Swedish agriculture thro gh the introduction and origina- 

 tion of better vaiieties of grain and forage plants. In connection with 

 the society, and the breeding station which was the outcome of it, 

 there was established in 181)1 a seed company, which at present is capi- 

 talized at $100,000. This company is a business concern for the pur- 

 pose of growing in hirge quantities and distributing advantageously 

 and economically seeds of the cereals and fodder plants which have 

 been originated or tested by the breeding station and proved of special 

 agricultural value. In the early years of the breeding society the 

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