6—Lancaster Farming, Friday, Nov“. 1, 1957 Varietal Identification Key to Success In Production of Superior Alfalfa Assurance or varietal purity and identity in alfalfa seed is es sential if farmers who plant this important pasture, hay and soil building crop are to realize max imum benefits from impioved var EASY PICKING^ Smoketown Ph. Lane. EX 2-2659 Allis-Chalmers No. 63 three-bottom plow lets you get over more acres ~ • Bullet Blade bottoms penetrate quickly, run smoothly, with lighter draft. • Frame is made of heat-treated alloy spring steel to meet demands of today’s faster, more power ful tractors. O Pulling from a single hitchpoint provides low, natural line of draft . . . eliminates side draft. • TRACTION BOOSTER system transfers weight to rear tractor wheels as needed. No. 73 three-bottom plow gives unusual trash clearance due to extra beam height and extra dis tance between bottoms . . . plus forward-thrusting beams and coulters. Traction Booster is an Allia-Chahnera trademark. ALLIS-CH AIMERS '<^> SALES AND SERVICE L H. Brubaker Lancaster, Pa. N. G. Myers & Son Rheems, Pa. Mann & Grumelli Farm Serv. QuarryviUe, Pa. Snavelys Farm Service New Holland, Pa. icties developed by plant breed ers, according to tests earned out by the Agricultural Research Service, of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and co-operating State agricultural experiment stations. Commenting on results of co operative trueness-to-vanety tests Dr. Karl Quisenberry, assistant administrator of the agricultural Research Service, explains that appearance alone is not an indic ator of genetic purity and identi fy m sued In fa l- ', he says, even an expert cannot tell by looking at alfalfa seed whether they have, the improved characteristics that have been built into them by plant breeders - - such as high yield and seedling vigor in Narra gansett, stem-nematode resistance m Lahontan, wilt resistance* and high yield in Vernal, Ranger, and Buffalo, or other good qualities that are a part of the genetic make-up of such improved varie ties as Caliverde and Williams burg alfalfas “ That’s why use of certified seed, which insures varietal ident ity becomes so important,” Dr. Qmsenbeey declares. “Based on cooperative tests earned out in Indiana and Minnesota during 1955 and 1956 on seed lots of certified Ranger and non-certi fied Ranger’ alfalfa, a farmer who purchases and plants seed of ’non certified Ranger’ has less than a 50 per cent chance of getting seed of Ranger performance.” Plant breeders have developed many varieties in recent years that have specific characteristics of special value to farmers. Rang er for example, is a variety hav ing high yield, winter hardiness, and wilt resistance. Winter-hard iness in Ranger and similar vari eties is indicated by late-fall re growth characterized -by a low growing “rosette” appearnace as contrasted with the tall and erect Nissley Farm Service Washington Boro, Pa. L. H. Brubaker Lititz, Pa. R. S. Weaver Stevens, Pa. growth of nonhardy varieties. In the Mmnesota-Indiana tests a standard of 80 to 99 per cent of the plants with .fall regrowth of a losettmg type was found to be indicative of "the Ranger Variety. Only one of 21 lots of certified Ranger alfalfa seed tested, failed to come within this standard of fall growth type The one lot out side the satisfactory range had 78 per cent plants of the resetting type. On the other hand, 74 of the 163 lots of “non-certified” Rang er” tested failed to come within the standard of fall growth type. Plant breeders and patholo gists have also devised standard procedures for measuring wilt re sistance m alfalfas. No variety is 100 per cent immune to wilt, al though Ranger is a wilt resistant variety. In the Mmnesota-Indiana tests cited by Dr. Quisenberry,' a plant population with 33 per cent or less of the plants severely in fected or dead from wilt was the standard for this character in Ranger alfalfa. Only one of the certified seed lots that passed the test for fall growth type failed to meet the re quired standard for wilt resist ance, with 40 per cent dead and infected plants. Among the lots of “non-certified Ranger, “how ever, 16 of the 89 lots that pre viously had met the test for fall growth type had more than 33 per cent dead or infected plants after being inoculated with wilt. Thus considering both fall growth type and wilt resistance only 10 per cent of the certified seed lots of Ranger failed to meet the required standards, while 55 per cent of the “non-certified Ranger” seed lots failed to meet the standards for both these char acteristics. “Unless improved varieties, such as Ranger, are produced, harvested, and processed under properly controlled conditions,” iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiißiiiiiiiiiiiniaiiii WANT MORE POULTRY PROFIT? Use Tfiese Feeds ... Red Rose Laying Mash Made for heavy, profitable egg produ High energy mash blended and balanc to meet the feed requirements of layers under the strain of heavy egg production. Red Rose Complete Laying A balanced all-mash ration for layers, scratch grains needed. Gives layers all the nutrients for heavy, sustained egg production. Red Rose TC Feed "First aid in a feed bag!” TC is the ne' well” feed that guards against disease at the first danger signs. Contains increased levels of antibiotics and vitamins to increase appetites. Red Rose 36% Poultry Sui Contains necessary proteins, vitamins a minerals to balance farm grains and mal economical, quality mashes for chickens and turkeys. BUY RED ROSE FEEDS FROM THESE DISTRIBUTORS MOUNTVILLE FEED SERVICE R. D 2, Columbia, Pa. LEROY GEIB. EST. R. D 2. Manheim, Pa. JOSEPH M. GOOD & SON R. D. 1, Bird-in-Hajid, Pa. Dr. Quisenberry explains, “their superior qualities, such as high >ield and winter hardiness, may be lost in the planting seed that becomes available to farmers for forage seedings. Special care is needed because varieties change unless precautions are taken. Seed certification is the best sys tem so far devised to maintain the identity and superior perform ance that is-put into the genetic make-up of the variety by*the plant breeder.” Information supporting the Mmnesota-Indiana findings also comes from a series of trueness lo-variety tests conducted by the New York Agricultural Experi ment Station over a six year per iod that included several hundred lots of certified and non certified seed. In these tests an extreme amount of type variation was not ed in lots labeled Grimm alfalfa. By comparison striking uniform ity was noted in certified Ranger alfalfa setd lots while some “non certified Ranger” seed lots pro duced intermediate-type plants in respect to fall growth type. These trials further show that unless the seed, stocks for repro ducing such winter hardy alfalfa, varities as 'Ranger are properly maintained, either by seed certi fication or by other effective means, they may eventually be come as variable and undepen able in performance as the old winter-hardy varieties such as Grimm. “The lesson in these tests is clear,” Dr. Quisenberry conclud es. “Any farmer who is planting Ranger alfalfa or any of the im proved varities of grasses and leg umes should make sure that the seed he buys has been grown, processed, and marketed under procedures that, will insure its varietal purity and identity. The best system - as the trueness to vanety tests show - - is seed cert ification.” WALTER & JACKSON, INC. Christiana, Pa. ANIMAL MORBIDITY REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1957 The Special Disease Eradication Section of the Agricultural Re search Service recently released its Animal Morbidity Report for Fiscal Year 1957 which shows how many herds of flocks were report ed to have been infected with various diseases that year. It shows that 124,115 herds of cattle, 42 herds of goats, and 1,- 337 herds of swine showed posi tive reaction to brucellosis; 6,161 herds of cattle, 24 herds of swine, and 21 flocks of poultry showed positive reaction to tuberculosis; anthrax infection was found in 149 herds of cattle and nine herds of swine; hog cholera was report ed m 3,977 herds, vascular exan thema m only three equine encep halomyelitis in 1,460, scrapie in 12, and blue-tongue in 215. A total of 4,666 cases of rabies were reported, 1,929 of them in dogs, 281 in cats, 652 in cattle, ,22 in equines, 17 in sheep and goats, 20 in swine, and 1,745 in wildlife. Six years of leadership as the Highest Average Profit producers in America’s two oldest 3 and 5 year Random -Sample Tests (New York and Calif ) is proof that H&N BALANCED ■BREEDING pays off consistently with extra egg profits for you. BROILER CROWERS: For peak broiler profits make your next flock Ist generation white Vantress Broiler Chicks from Florin Farms. FREE price list and literature sent en request FLORIN FARMS, INC. Vtt. Joy 2 • Lancaster County • Penna. Ph. Mt. Joy OLdfield 3-9891 JOHN H. BONHOLTZER R. D. 4, Lancaster, Pa. SNADER’S MILL R. D. 1, Stevens, Pa. I. B. GRAYBILL & SON Refton, Pi. ■I
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