Farm Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4431, 3 July 1909, Page 4

Farm Notes.

TO SECURE GOOD WHEAT

At last meeting of the general committee of the Masterton A. and P. Association some discussion was caused by a.communication from the Government offering samples of Russian, Canadian, Australian and Norwegian wheat to farmers for experimental purposes. A number of those present favoured the idea if it were possible to get the samples true tc name, which unfortunately, they stated, they could not. If they sent for a certain kind, they would get some which proved afterwards to be a totally different variety to that sent for.

Mr McGregor said the very best way to secure a good wheat was to go thrdugh their crops and select the pick of the ears by hapd. He quoted i as an example the word'done at the Guelph' College, Ontario, where prizes had been offered the school children for the best results obtained by this method. Eight hundred children entered the competition the first year, and each selected one hundred heads of grain and grew them. The second year a larger prize was offered for those continuing the experiment, and some four hundred again entered, selecting their seed corn from the crops grown from the previous year’s selection. Samples of the second crop were carefully selected and distributed among far'iners, with the result that there was an increase 'in their crops of about five bushels to the acre. He held that the Department of Agriculture ought also to carry out experiments in this direction, as by doing so they would confer a real benefit on the farmer and on the dominion generally. The best results would be obtained by careful selection from the grain that had already proved it was grown.