FARMERS METHODS OF PRODUCING PURE 8EEDH 283 



of different strains. Many farmers sustain annual losses, which 

 are not small, due to using seed of an over-exploited variety 

 which has not proved its worth in competitive tests. With 

 many crops, quality is of prime importance and must receive 

 some consideration if a No. 1 grade product is to be obtained. 



Purity. For crops like wheat, oats, and barley, which are 

 self-fertilized, uniformity is the rule, providing the grower 

 is willing to pay some attention to eliminating accidental mix- 

 tures. For cross-fertilized crops, of which corn is a good example, 

 purity of type is of less importance, although certain general 

 standards of purity are desirable. 



Hardiness. Hardiness is a feature of adaptability but it de- 

 serves especial mention. Ability of annual crops like rye and 

 wheat to withstand winter-killing as well as winter hardiness 

 for perennial crops such as alfalfa is of high importance and is 

 generally given much consideration by experimenters before 

 recommending a particular variety. 



Strength of Stalk. Ability to stand up, which obviates injury 

 from lodging, is of much importance in grain and hay crops. In 

 small grains early lodging often causes shriveled seeds. The 

 difficulty of harvesting is greatly increased when the crop is flat. 



Disease Escaping or Resistance. Some varieties are much 

 freer from disease than others. There are various factors, but the 

 chief ones may be considered under disease escaping and disease 

 resistance. Disease escaping may be due to early maturity, as 

 in the case of Marquis wheat, which often escapes stem rust epi- 

 demics when late varieties such as Bluestem are seriousty injured. 



Disease resistance is the condition which obtains when the 

 organism gains entrance to the plant yet causes no appreciable 

 injury. There is, for example, a distinct tendency for durum 

 wheat to be resistant to stem rust; some durum strains being 

 much more resistant than others. 



The above are some of the important agronomic or horticultural 

 characters which separate one variety from another. By a knowl- 

 edge of these the grower is enabled to obtain the best available 

 strain for his conditions. Seed of this selected variety must then 

 be saved in such a manner that it will have germinating ability, 

 i.e., will grow vigorously. In order to do this the seed must be 

 mature and well developed and free from transmissible diseases. 

 Freedom from obnoxious weed seeds is also an important con- 

 sideration. 



