36 BULLETIN 39, U. S. DEPAKTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
averaged 4.3 bushels to the acre more than Manchuria (Minn. No. 6) 
in an 8-year test, and 0.8 bushel more than Manchuria (Minn. No. 
105) in a 6-year test. At Highmore another variety of the Hanna 
group, the Bohemian (C. I. No. 27), has equaled the Hannchen in 
yield, but has been inferior in uniformity and quality. At Brook- 
ings the Hannchen has not yielded as well as the best 6-rowed va- 
rieties. Table XV shows that the 1910 crop of Hannchen barley at 
Highmore weighed 49 pounds to the measured bushel and that 1,000 
grains weighed 25.5 grams. The protein content was 18.7 per cent. 
Hannchen is a variety of 2-rowed barley to which the barley grow- 
ers of central South Dakota can well afford to give more attention. 
Kitzing.— The Kitzing barley (S. Dak. No. 189, C. I. No. 189) is 
very similar to the Hannchen in appearance. It is uniform and 
of good quality. At Brookings it has been the best yielding 2-rowed 
variety. It was first grown at Highmore in 1910, but has thus far 
shown no superiority to the Hannchen. The latter variety is prob- 
ably to be preferred for the central district of the State. It is not 
advisable to grow the Kitzing barley in the eastern district, because 
of the danger of mixture with the 6-rowed varieties on the farm or 
at the elevator, thus lowering the value of both. 
IMPROVEMENT OF THE GRAIN CROPS. 
The improvement of the small-grain crops of South Dakota will 
be discussed in detail in a later publication, giving the results of 
the breeding work which is in progress at the Brookings and High- 
more stations. A brief statement is included here to show what is 
necessary to make the crop-breeding work of the station and the 
United States Department of Agriculture of the fullest possible 
benefit to the grower. To obtain the best results, the grower must 
get seed of the best varieties and then keep this seed up to a high 
standard of purity and quality. Any variety of grain may de- 
teriorate through the presence of inferior seed or through accidental 
mixture with other varieties if care is not taken to remove them 
from the seed each year. 
One of the best plans for keeping seed pure is to use what is known 
as the seed-plat method. To put this method into effect it is neces- 
sary to select enough of the best-appearing heads from the field to 
furnish seed for a seed plat of perhaps 1 acre the following year. 
These heads should be dried thoroughly to avoid molding and then 
thrashed in the most convenient manner. The seed thus obtained 
should be thoroughly fanned and used to plant the seed-improvement 
plat. The crop from this plat will be available for seed for the main 
field for the ensuing year. Enough heads should be selected from 
the seed plat each year to sow the seed plat the following year. By 
thus growing a special seed plat each year the standard of excellence 
