66 Breeding of Plants and Animals. 



grades for the three years. From the one hundred new 

 varieties thus compared choose the five to ten which 

 give the best yield and grade. 



The sixth year one of two methods may be em- 

 ployed. The seed from the five or more plants may be 

 mixed together and a new variety thus made of the 

 combined blood of several mother plants; or a variety 

 may be made from each of the five or more mother 

 plants. In either case the new varieties thus made 

 should be multiplied the seventh year to produce a suf- 

 ficient quantity of seed to plant a test plat of one- 

 twentieth or one-tenth of an acre field. We are in the 

 habit of running these field test plats through three 

 years of successful comparisons, thus testing them dur- 

 ing the eighth, ninth and tenth years. As hail, chinch 

 bugs and other troubles strike experiment plats as well 

 as practical fields of wheat it sometimes requires four 

 or five years to get over this part of the tests. Among 

 these field plots of new wheats are always interspersed 

 plots of our standard wheats with which to compare 

 the new kinds. We at once become interested in any 

 of the new kinds which show pronounced ability over 

 the standard wheats in yield. We make milling and 

 baking tests, and, if necessary, chemical laboratory 

 tests. Any of these varieties which still give promise 

 of increased yields per acre are then distributed to the 

 co-operating stations and there tested. Any variety 

 which here distinguishes itself as adapted to a group 

 of States or to a district within a State is rapidly in- 

 creased during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth years to 

 a thousand bushels or more and sold to co-operators. 

 By this method about twelve years are required from 

 the time the start is made until the variety is sent out 

 to the farmers. This seems a long time to the begin- 

 ner, but once there are on hand more varieties of 

 wheat than the experiment station or a large seed firm 

 can distribute the matter of time when a new variety 

 is ready for distribution does not become of so great 

 moment. Some original varieties are going into the 



