36 WHEAT 



MAINTAIN PURITY AND QUALITY OF IMPROVED 

 SEED 



Farmers who are growing improved wheat 

 should take great care to keep the seed wheat 

 pure in order to continue the distribution of the 

 good seed and to maintain the yield and quality 

 of the grain grown on their own farms. One of 

 the principal factors which causes deterioration 

 in wheat is the crossing or mixing of different 

 varieties or strains. Common sources of mixing 

 are from volunteer wheat which occurs when 

 fields are reseeded to wheat year after year; or 

 mixing may occur in the harvesting or threshing 

 where two or more varieties are grown on the 

 same farm or on neighboring farms. Careless 

 seedsmen and dealers also often allow the varieties 

 to become mixed in grading and handling, so that 

 under present conditions it is quite difficult to 

 maintain purity in seed grain. 



COMMUNITY SEED 



The breeding and introduction of pedigreed 

 strains will eventually lead to the establishment 

 and growing of one of the best producing, pure 

 bred varieties of each cereal grain in each com- 

 munity or in each locality or section with distinct 

 climatic or soil conditions. Thus there may be 

 established a " community seed" which will be 

 planted by all the farmers in that community. 

 This will be a great advantage over the present 

 practice of growing many varieties, some of which 

 are often poorly adapted to the local conditions. 



