10 Feb., 1917.] Improvement of Wheat, d-c. Ill 



improvement in yield of at least 20 per cent, to 50 per cent, may be 

 expected as a result of the system laid down by Mr; A. E. V. Richard- 

 son, which is as follows, and which involve;^ little labour, but should 

 be carefully carried out in detail: — 



Method of Improvement. 



The method ]iroposed is to apply the same principles to the im- 

 provement of wheat as have hitherto been applied to tlie improvement 

 of stock, choosing the seed only from the best individual plants. An 

 ordinary crop of, say, Federation wheat consists of a mixture of higli 

 yielding plants, average yielding plants, and low yielding plants. 

 When we liarvest such a crop with the harvester the seed obtained 

 is of average yielding capacity, is no better, if as good, as the seed 

 which produced it. 



If there were some means of isolating the prolific plants and growing 

 the seed from these .plants, we would find that the yielding power of the 

 seed from these [ilants would be considerably increased, according to the 

 judgment displayed by the operator. 



One way of isolating these high yielding .plants is to go through a 

 crop just before harvesting and select the best developed and most com- 

 pact heads from the best develo,ped plants. These heads are threshed, 

 the seed then graded and sown on a plot. Such a plot, because it 

 consists of specially selected seed, is called a " stud plot." 



A convenient size for such a plot is one-fifth of an acre. To get 

 sufficient seed for such a plot about 25-30 lbs. of heads would be col- 

 lected. This represents not more than a half -day's work. These heads 

 are threshed, and graded either with sieves or a blower, so that the 

 undersized grains are removed. 



E.xperimeiits have shown that the heavier grains of wheat on the 

 whole produce the best crop, so that the use of a blower would be 

 advisable. 



This plot should be sown on well-fallowed land, with an amount of 

 superphosphate not exceeding 100 lbs., in 1917. 



Before the stud plot of l9l7 is harvested preparations for the second 

 year are made. Another 24-30 lbs. of heads are selected for the second 

 year — the heads this time being taken from the stud plot instead of the 

 general field. The same procedure of threshing and grading the selected 

 heads is carried out, and the stud plot is sown as before on a fifth of 

 an acre in 1918. This stud plot of 1918 has two years' selection behind 

 it — sslection of the best from the best 



The produce of the 1917 stud plot is harvested, the seed graded and 

 sown the second year (1918) on as much land as the seed available will 

 permit. In an average season there should be sufficient graded seed 

 from the stud plot to sow at least 2i-4 acres. This plot we may call 

 a "seed" plot. It is better seed than the main cro,p of the farm, but 

 it is not quite as prolific as the " stud plot." 



In the second year, therefore, there will be two plots — a stud plot 

 of one-fifth of an acre, and a seed plot of 2A-4 acres. 



At the 1918 harvest. As before we have to get the seed for the 

 "stud" plot by again selecting the best heads of the 1918 stud plot 

 The seed plot of 2A-4 acres will be sown from the balance of the 1918 

 "stud " after the selected heads have been taken. 



The seed plot of 1918 will be harvested, and sufficient seed should 

 be obtained to sow about ^0 acres in 1919. ' ' ' 



