Influence of Good Seed. 



35 



experiments, and proved to be superior to Red Fife both in yield of 

 grain and straw per acre and in popularity with the experimenters. 

 It certainly shows some strong- features as foundation stock for 

 plant breeding. 



Selection of Seed. 



Within the past fourteen years a large amount of experimental 

 w 7 ork has been done to determine the influence of different 

 selections of seed upon the resulting crop. For the wheat experi- 

 ments, fresh seed was taken each year from the general crop of 

 grain grown in the large fields. The results therefore represent 

 simply the one year's influence from seed selection, but the 

 experiments were repeated from season to season so as to secure 

 a good average of conditions of soil, temperature and rainfall. 

 For the large sample, none but well-developed seeds were selected ; 

 for the small sample, none but sound, plump, and comparatively 

 good seeds of small size were used ; for the shrunken sample, 

 none but shrunken grains of good size were selected ; and for the 

 broken sample, none but seeds which had been broken by the 

 threshing machine were included. The selections were made with 

 great care by the use of sieves and then by hand-picking the seeds. 

 A quantity of the large, plump grains sufficient to sow a plot 

 twenty-five links square was carefully weighed out and the grains 

 were then counted. A corresponding number was then taken of 

 the small, the plump, the shrunken, and the broken seeds. The 

 different lots were sown upon plots made as uniform as possible. 

 The following table gives the average results obtained from the 

 various selections of both winter wheat and spring wheat : — 



Crop. 



Average Annual Yield of Grain per Acre (Bushels). 



Number of 

 Years Tested. 



Large 

 Seed. 



Small 

 Seed. 



Shrunken 

 Seed. 



Broken 

 Seed. 



Winter wheat . 

 Spring wheat . 



6 



8 



46*9 

 217 



40-4 



18-0 



39"i 

 167 



9'3 



The results of the twelve separate tests made at the Ontario 

 Agricultural College with winter wheat show an average increase 

 in yield of grain per acre of 6*5 bushels from large, as compared 

 with small seed ; of 7*8 bushels from plump, as compared with 

 shrunken seed; and of 35*6 bushels from sound, as compared with 

 broken seed ; in sixteen separate tests with spring wheat, of 

 3'7 bushels from large, as compared with small seed ; and of 

 5 bushels from plump, as compared with shrunken seed. 



In the average of five years' experiments with winter wheat, 

 seed which was allowed to become thoroughly ripened before it 



