16 



BULLETIISr 357^ U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



he wished to get a foothold in Kansas and Iowa as soon as possible. 

 He further asked that an expert be sent to see the wheat and advise 

 regarding its propagation. 



The following three chief claims were made for this wheat by 

 the introducer in his various letters of 1906 and in the years fol- 

 lowing : 



(1) That it would ontyield any other variety anywhere. 



(2) That it tillered more freely; that is, that it sent np more stems from 

 one seed than any other variety of wheat. 



(3) That 20 pounds of seed to the acre was enough to produce maximum 

 yields, while other varieties required S pecks (120 pounds). 



Fig. 4. — Representative head of Stoner, or 

 "Miracle," wheat. (About half natural 

 size.) 



Fig. 5. — Representative head of Bearded 

 Purple Straw wheat. (About half nat- 

 ural size.) 



In the fall of 1907 an agent of the department visited Mr. Stoner's 

 farm. The visit occurred after harvest, hoAvever, and only the stub- 

 ble field and shocks could be seen. The agent reported that this 

 wheat had been grown in the field for two seasons, but not many 

 definite facts about its value could be obtained. 



The report states that " on one farm the yield was 27.5 bushels 

 per acre, which was 3 to 5 bushels more per acre than that of other 

 varieties on the same farm." * * * The Miracle wheat was 

 sown at the rate of only 3 pecks, however, while the other was sown 

 at the rate of 8 pecks per acre. A single test in a single year on 

 different fields, with a difference of 5 pecks per acre in the rate 

 of seeding, is inconclusive. 



The report states further that when sown in fields at the 3-peck 

 rate, from 8 to 15 heads were produced on each plant, while the 



