BREEDING NEW GRAINS 



a new and powerful factor comes into the life 

 of the world, — it is the working of a modern 

 miracle, the creation of a new grain, one of the 

 marvels of the life of the New Earth. 



There are two chief factors in the work, — 

 breeding and selection. In the early dawn the 

 pollen is taken from the flower of one kind of 

 wheat and placed upon the stigma of another 

 wheat; from them, judged by their past his- 

 tory, a stronger life than either parent should 

 come. It may not so turn out, however, for, 

 out of hundreds of wheats created, by far the 

 larger number are destroyed as not being better 

 than their forebears. When the operator has 

 successfully sprinkled the pollen upon the 

 stigma, he ties up the head in a hood of tissue 

 paper to ward off pilfering birds and insects; 

 the flower itself, as day comes on, closes up 

 and holds fast within itself its precious secret. 

 From the union of the two wheats may come 

 a third of commanding power, one which shall 

 revolutionize the wheat-growing of a continent 

 and become a significant factor in the com- 

 merce, no less than the dietary, of the world. 



This work of breeding new wheats began 

 long years ago in Europe. Thousands of 



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