54 THE BOOK OF WHEAT 



There are no statistics to show how great is the loss result- 

 ing from the impositions of unreliable seed firms, but it must be 

 millions of dollars. The loss from sowing poor seed grown on 

 the farm is also great. Frequently, especially among the uned- 

 ucated classes, any wheat which is injured too badly for market 

 purposes, either by such diseases as smut, or by improper har- 

 vesting or storing, is used for seed purposes. Many experi- 

 ments with immature seed wheat have been made. While its 

 germinating powers may be greater, the conclusion is that 

 smaller and less vigorous plants are produced, resulting in a 

 lower yield. 1 



It is very questionable whether wheat frozen in ripening, or 

 burned in the stack or bin, can be safely used for seed. It 

 certainly should not be sown if badly affected, and the only 

 way to determine its value is by a germination test. A low 

 germinating power often means a lack in quality as well as in 

 quantity, which makes the use of such seed very hazardous. 



Whether seed will "run out," and whether it is profitable 

 occasionally to "change seed" or not, has long been a mooted 

 question. A change of seed, especially if the change is be- 

 tween very distant sections, is almost invariably accompanied 

 by some disadvantages. If it is merely a promiscuous exchange, 

 as is so often the case, it is very likely that the disadvantages 

 will greatly outweigh the advantages. The principles above 

 pointed out throw some light on this question and show that 

 there is one case in which a change of seed is advantageous, 

 namely, from an environment unfavorable in certain conditions 

 to one more favorable in these same conditions and having no 

 new disadvantages which counterbalance the good results. It 

 is obvious that if the transfer is from a favorable to an un- 

 favorable environment, the wheat must, by a selective process, 

 adapt itself to the new conditions before it can yield as much 

 as that which is already adapted. This, of course, has refer- 

 ence only to the one variety which is under consideration. 

 There are also other considerations, however. In the first place, 

 the custom of changing seed is a costly one in actual expendi- 

 ture of cash. Farmers purchase annually many thousands of 

 bushels of seed wheat, paying fancy prices and freightage 



1 Kept. N. D. Agr. Col., 1902, p. 32; Yearbook U. S. Pept. Agr., 

 1896, p. 306. 



