Various Methods of Breeding Wheat. 61 



are drawn to the barn and threshed. The station had 

 a machine especially constructed for threshing small 

 plats. It is simply a small-sized threshing machine 

 so reconstructed inside that no ledges or other places 

 will allow grain to lodge. Each variety thus runs out 

 clean before the next variety is started through the 

 machine. So as to doubly insure that the varieties do 

 not become mixed, most of the grain from each plat 

 is placed in a large bag and a half bushel of that which 

 runs through near the last, while the machine is yet 

 "running full/' is saved out in a small bag to use in 

 planting the test plat the next year. 



During one of the early years of these field trials 

 milling and baking tests are made. Very satisfactory 

 tests are made of the amount and the quality of the 

 gluten with only a quart of wheat run through a test 

 roller mill. And wheats which are thus shown to be 

 poor in quality, unless their yield be so high as to more 

 than compensate, are discarded at the end of the three 

 annual field trials. The remaining wheats which have 

 shown superiority are now distributed to other stations 

 for trial under agreement that the originator shall have 

 the say as to when they shall be distributed. This 

 precaution protects the station and enables it to later 

 secure the co-operation of farmers who will aid in dis- 

 tributing new things if they have an even chance with 

 others, to sell at the same time as other introducers, 

 that they may t make profits from extra care, advertis- 

 ing, etc. This' plan of securing farmers to co-operate 

 with the Minnesota station promises to result in the 

 two new wheats already distributed rapidly displacing 

 the two parent varieties. In case of Minnesota No. 169, 

 the second new wheat distributed, nearly 1600 bushels 

 were sold last spring (1902) to nearly 400 farmers, 

 four bushels to each at $1.50 per bushel. These co- 

 operators were chosen by the station because of their 

 beiing recommended by other farmers, or by local grain 

 dealers, as men adapted to seed grain growing, and 



