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HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



thus keeping the plot pure from mechanical mixture and gaining slightly on 

 the selection toward larger yield. During these three years tests are made 

 not only of yield and of quality, as determined by inspection, but milling 

 tests are also made of the quality of the flour from each variety. At the end 

 of this period averages are made of the trials for the three years, and each 

 wheat is studied as to its relative value — producing power per acre. Possibly 

 five out of the fifty are superior to the remainder. These are furnished to 

 experiment stations in surrounding States, which are in a co-operative or- 

 ganization, that they may give the new sorts further trial for the use of the 

 originating station, and also for their own use. If, after one or two years' 

 trials at several stations, or after further trial at the originating station, one 

 of these wheats shows a value per acre greater than any other wheat grown, 

 it is rapidly multiplied. Instead of distributing it free, the pedigree is placed 

 behind thjs new variet}-, and it is sold at a price much above the current 

 prices of ordinary seed wheat, but much below its real value. It is sold to 

 seedsmen, seed growers and farmers, and so distributed throughout the State 

 that all who will make a specialty of growing superior seeds for sale may 

 soon have a chance to grow it. This has proven a very effective way of 

 widely distributing a variety. Even sorts bred only for superior yield per 

 acre, with no ordinary varietal distinguishing marks, are thus widely dis- 

 tributed. 



Distinguishing marks are very useful, but, often to combme breeding for 

 distinguishing marks with breeding for intrinsic qualities has defeated the 

 whole economic purposes, e. g., breeding clover at the Minnesota Station for 

 the first ten years of efifort in that direction helped to lead to temporary 

 failure. We tried to breed hardy clover with flowers of lighter color. 



This method of breeding wheat costs money. "The proof of the pudding 

 is in the eating," however, and one variety thus originated and distributed, 

 Minn. No. 163, has already paid the bill for breeding this and other species of 

 field crops by the Minnesota Station. The farmers' reports show that this 

 variety yields a dollar per acre more than the wheats it is supplanting. We 

 estimate that in 1902 there was grown in Alinnesota 60,000 acres of this 

 variety;, also 20,000 acres in North Dakota. That tfiis has resulted from 

 200 bushels distributed in 1899, 100 in 1900 and 200 in 1901 seems at first 

 remarkable. This emphasizes the fact that even a variety not differing in 

 appearance from a kind commonly grown in the State may be widely dis- 

 tributed by putting behind it a statistical pedigree and by careful work in 

 breeding and distributing which will gain the confidence of the growers. 



Open-poHetiated plants, also animals, must be bred in many ways in a 

 manner radically dift'erent than bacteria, or apples, or than wheat or oats, 

 where adulteration by mixing is not continued. Open-pollenated species and 

 animals are accustomed to more or less cross-breeding, and in many cases a 

 mixture of blood is necessary to their reproductive vigor. Here we have the 

 more complex problem of securing mixtures of blood lines which have a high 

 "projected efficieticy." It is harder here to fix types, to attain a settled char- 

 acter of blood lines — which are constantly tending to reorganize into new 

 combinations of characters — so as to have a strong and constant efficiency in 

 the production of large values along given desired lines. Besides, we cannot 



