Bits of Recent Farm Science: Plant Breeding; Forests and Snow; Wheat Farming and Soil Fertility

BITS OF RECENT FARM SCIENCE. BY DR. JOHN A. WIDTSOE, DIRECTOR EXPERIMENT STATION, STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, LOGAN, UTAH. Plant Breeding* That man shall in time be master of all of nature's laws, is a hope of past ages that has become a belief of this age. However, in spite of the recent great progress of the world, man finds him- self, today, confronted by a number of problems that are so subtle and intricate, that their solution appears to be as far away as ever. Among these problems, the most difficult are those that in any way connect themselves with life. The lifeless thing, though full of mysteries, reveals itself to the searcher, and, once stripped of vagueness, its true nature is known forever. But the living thing evades and eludes; and, once caught and made to give up a secret, cannot be depended on to act precisely in the same manner again. The mystery of life baffles man on every hand. Nevertheless, in conformity with the perverseness of the human mind, men are most strongly attracted to the problems that seem unsolvable; and especially to the action and control of life. The many persons who have given time and thought to the nature of life, have learned much that explains the action of living things, and, in a very humble way, have become enabled to control this action. So encouraging are these results, that we are prone to believe that the time is not so very far distant when animate nature shall be subject, in its action, to the will of man. The subject is a vast one; and this note is intended only to show how one law of life is being made, in one way, to benefit mankind. The law of heredity that in a majority of cases "like begets like," has been used, for a number of years, to produce results of

294 IMPROVEMENT ERA. importance to man. Among these, the following two may be mentioned. Professor Willet M. Hays, of the Minnesota Experiment Station, some ten years ago, undertook the study of the wheat problem of his state, and decided that the income of the farmers could be greatly increased, if varieties of wheat could be obtained that yielded a few bushels more to the acre than the best then used on Minnesota farms. Accordingly, he obtained a supply of the wheats that had given the greatest yield per acre for several seasons past, and began to apply to them the law that "like begets like," in the development of a better variety. Four hun- dred plants of each of these varieties were planted out on small plats; and in the fall, ten of the best plants were selected, from each variety, and threshed out separately. The kernels from each plant were counted and weighed, and the seed of the best quality from the best plant kept for seed the next season. This process was repeated each year for four years. The parent variety of one of the best yielders, during the four years, gave 22.5 bushels per acre, annually, while the selected variety, after four years, yielded 28.3 bushels, or a difference of 5.8 bushels. This is a wonderful difference, which shows markedly to what a large extent man is able to influence plant growth. An even more interesting experiment has been going on at the Illinois Experiment Station for some years past. In the state of Illinois, large quantities of corn are grown annually. The corn is used in two ways; namely, as a cattle feed, and in the production of starch. Now, as a cattle feed, corn is deficient in the sub- stance protein, which is the muscle-building portion, and the richer corn is in this substance, the better for the farmer who feeds corn. On the other hand, the starch factories prefer corn that is very rich in starch and oil. It occurred to Dr. Hopkins, the chemist at the Illinois Station, that it might be possible to » influence the corn kernel in either of these two directions, by a proper system of selection; and soon after his experiments were begun, he obtained very marked results. From a field of corn, the best ears were selected, and a row of kernels from each ear was carefully analyzed. All the ears that were especially rich in protein were laid to one side, and those rich in starch, to the

BITS OF RECENT FARM SCIENCE. 295 other. In the spring, this selected corn was planted, and the same processes of selection and analysis employed. After two years, it was observed that the corn grown from the seed rich in protein, was especially rich in protein, and that the crops from the seed rich in starch were very starchy. For instance, the corn poor in protein produced seed containing 10.55 per cent, while that high in protein, produced seed containing 11.10 per cent, a difference of over one half per cent. The corn poor in fat produced seed containing 3.84 per cent, while that rich in fat produced seed with 5.29 per cent, a difference of 1.45 per cent. These differences are so great as to be of great economic importance. If the differences can be made still more marked, their values will be so much greater. Just how far this process may be carried, is difficult to say, but we are safe in believing that beyond a certain degree, man will not be enabled to effect further change. Similar experiments, with simi- lar results, are being carried on with a great variety of plants. The subject is fascinating, and leads into the depths of modern world philosophy. From these experiments, Utah farmers might well draw valuable lessons. Would it not be a profitable practice to give greater attention to the choice of seed for the various crops? Each farmer could, with little labor, so select and grade his wheat, for instance, as to be certain of the best results. Then it would be well to remember that, according to the law of heredity, the descendants of plants grown under our arid conditions, are likely to withstand the rigors of our climate better than seed imported from localities with different climatic conditions, and consequently, as an illustration, the so-called dry farmers, who frequently pur- chase for seed wheat raised on irrigated farms, should use the seed of wheat raised without irrigation. It is an important subject worthy the consideration of all thoughtful people. Forests and Snow. Much has been said of late years concerning the value of forests and mountain grasses in retaining the snow and water of the mountains, until the irrigation season begins. Frequently, these discussions have been theoretical, and, in fact, the student of

296 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the subject can find the record of very few experiments that deal with it. Director L. G. Carpenter of the Colorado Experiment Station, who is an eminent student of irrigation questions, has attacked the subject in a strictly scientific manner. There was a heavy snow- fall during the winter of 1899, and he decided to go up into the mountains, to satisfy himself by actual observation whether forests had any important influence in retaining the snow. He says, Correspondence had been opened with mountain friends, who, with long acquaintance with mountain conditions, had had unusual chances for observation. They were asked to let me know when the snow cover had so melted that the ground appeared in places, and also the places where green timber and bare spots were near together, so that the conditions could be readily compared. Reports that the conditions were favorable were received from three correspondents on the same day. The snow fields were melting so fast that only one section could be visited while the conditions were favorable. Two places, some twenty miles apart, were visited. While on these visits. Professor Carpenter took a series of photographs illustrating the influence of forests on snow; and, as he says, "It is believed that no more striking photographs on this subject have been brought together." The first two views are taken from the same place, but looking in different directions. The first view is to the northwest, and shows an ordinary forest grove, the trees of which, however, have been killed by a forest fire, or some equally effective cause. The ground around the trees is bare, and there is not a sign of snow anywhere on the picture. The second view, looking to the northeast, shows a similar grove of trees alive, and in first class condition. Snow is heaped up among the trees to a depth of several feet. These two pictures were taken on the same day. A more striking contrast, showing how the forest cover retards the melting of the mountain snows, can hardly be imagined. The other pictures show the same effect in an equally striking manner. From his studies. Professor Carpenter draws a number of important conclusions, among which the following may be men- tioned: The mountain streams, in the early irrigation season, are largely supplied by melting snow. The loss of snow by evapora-

BITS OF RECENT FARM SCIENCE. 297 tion is considerable, especially when exposed to winds. Snow remains in the. timber and in protected spots much longer than where exposed; which is due not so much to drifting, as to shelter from the radiation, afforded by the forest cover. The loss of the forest cover means more violent fluctuation during the day; also the 'water runs off sooner, hence the streams drop earlier in the summer and the summer and winter flow is smaller. The preservation of the forest is an absolute necessity for the interest of irrigation agriculture. These are conclusions of importance to Utah, whose pros- perity depends upon irrigation. Irrigation depends upon the summer water supply; which in turn depends on the retention of the snows in the mountains, until late in the season. In this, the forests are most effective. Our forests should be cherished; every good tree taken from them should be replaced by a young one. Wheat Fatming and Soil Fertility. While widely heralded experiments on submarine and aerial navigation, and wireless telegraphy, are going on, earnest workers are faithfully investigating the more important problems that are connected with the supply of the food stuffs of the race. One of the latest contributions to this subject is a bulletin by Professor Harry Snyder of the Minnesota Experiment Station, entitled, "The influence of Wheat Farming upon Soil Fertility." It is an unques- tioned fact that continuous wheat farming tends to diminish the fertility of soils, and it is an important matter to know how such exhaustion may be prevented, or the lost fertility restored. In the year 1892, Professor Snyder laid off two plots on the station farm for the purposes of his investigation. The soil was representative of first class farm land. On plot No, 1, wheat was grown year after year, without the addition of manure or any other artificial fertilizer. The average yield of wheat, during eight years, was 15.5 bushels to the acre. On plot No. 2, wheat was grown continuously, except that two years out of the eight, clover was the crop grown. The average yield of wheat on this plot was 18.8 bushels per acre. This is a difference of 3.3 bushels in favor of the plot on which clover was grown at intervals of five years. It was also noticed that the yields on the second plot were increas-

298 IMPROVEMENl ERA. ing from year to year, while on the first plot the annual yield had a tendency to decrease, (the difl'erence between the two plots, the last year, being 5.6 bushels); so that the difference in the present fertility of the two plots is greater than is indicated by the aver- age differences of yields. The cause of the diminution of soil fertility under a system of continuous wheat culture is due, mainly, to the loss of the element nitrogen. This element is found in all plant parts, and is indispens- able to plant growth. In the soil, it occurs generally in the animal and vegetable residues found in the soil. As decay goes on, there is a rapid decline of these organic matters of the soil, and a cor- responding loss of the element nitrogen. In 1892, at the begin- ning of the experiment, Professor Snyder found that the soil of the two plots contained 0.221 per cent of nitrogen; i. e,, an acre, to the depth of nine inches, contained about 7,700 pounds of nitrogen. In 1900, the plot on which wheat had been grown continually contained 0,173 per cent of nitrogen or about 6000 pounds. During eight years there had been a loss of 1700 pounds nitrogen, or nearly 22 per cent of the whole quantity in the soil. The actual amount of nitrogen removed by the crop did not exceed 300 pounds; the remaining 1400 were lost by the processes of decay that go on in cultivated soils. If purchased in commercial forms, as is done in the East and in Europe, this nitrogen would cost at least fourteen cents a pound for its return to the soil. This heavy loss of nitrogen has resulted in reducing, gradually, the wheat producing power of the soil. Plot No. 2, which in 1892 contained the same amount of nitrogen as No. 1, contained in 1900, 0.198 per cent, equivalent to a loss of 800 pounds. About 350 pounds of nitrogen were taken away by the crops, leaving an actual loss of 450 pounds of nitro- gen during the eight years. This is less than one third of the 1400 pounds lost by plot No. 1. The occasional growth of clover was shown, therefore, to be of high value in restoring soil fertility. It is well known that clover, peas, beans, lucern, and all pod bearing plants have the power of gathering nitrogen from the air, and storing it in the soil. The experiments reported by Professor Snyder simply prove the truth of the theory. In Utah, an irrational system of farming has been practiced