CHAPTER X. 



NURSERY CENTGENER BREEDING OF WHEAT. 



The following method is now in use at the Minne- 

 sota Experiment Station for testing blood lines of 

 superior mother plants of wheat and multiplying them 

 into new varieties. 



From a large plot or a field of wheat select a suffi- 

 cient number of heads so as to have several thousand 

 large fine berries. The second year plant in nursery 

 plots 4x4 or 5x5 inches apart each way, one seed in a 

 place, 10,000 hills. When nearly ripe with the aid of 

 sheep shears or a grass hook remove all but 500 plants. 

 Cut the heads or spikes off each of these plants, not in- 

 cluding more than an inch of the straw below the spike, 

 and put in a packet. Remove each bunch of the spikes 

 from its packet and weigh. Discard the half or two- 

 thirds that are poorest in weight, and shell the re- 

 mainder. Again weigh to get the net weight of grain 

 and inspect for quality. Compare the net weights and 

 grades and throw away all but one hundred. The 

 third year plant a little plat ten plants square, 4x4 

 inches, from each of the one hundred mother plants. 

 At harvest time pick out the best ten heads from what 

 appear to be the best ten plants in the plot for stock 

 seed for a similar plot next year. As there will be 

 some blanks count the number of plants harvested, 

 then thresh, weigh and divide the weight by the num- 

 ber of plants harvested to get the yield per plant. Pass 

 judgment upon the grade, putting all grades into per- 

 centages so that they may be averaged. With the grain 

 from the ten selected heads plant the fourth -year a 

 similar plot and repeat the fifth year. Add together 

 the yields per plant for the second, third and fourth 

 years and divide by three. Similarly average the 



