Lancaster Farming
August 18, 1962—7
Most Farmers
Seed Wheat
Not Certified
Only a small number of
Pennsylvania tanners plant
certified wheat seed, a 1961
survey indicates. The study,
made in Central Pennsylvania,
showed a large number of
prohibited and noxious weeds
in the dull boxes of tamieis
planting home-grown and
neighbor-gi own wheat
Home-grown or neighbor
giown wheat accounted toi 8 5
per cent of the wheat seed
sown, lepoits Haiold T Camp
bell, giaduate assistant with,
the project at Penn State
“Home-grown gram, il pro
perly cleaned, treated, and
tested for genmnation, is ac
ceptable tor seeding but
very few farmers run get muta
tion tests on wheat seed.”
Campbell reports.
Only 21 of the 149 lota of
seed wheat, about 14 per cent,
were purchased from commer
cial seed dealers. Ten of the
21 lots of dealer seed werar
certified and 11 lots were noh
certified. 01 142 farmers 'in
terviewed in Central Pennsyl
vania, 121 harvested wheat.
Recommended varieties
made up 94 per cent of tha
seed wheat. The most popular
variety was Pennoll, with
nearly half the acreage. Senecft
and Thorne, closely related
varieties were next with one
third ot the acreage.
Half of the farmers report
ed using small amounts of
certified seed wheat from tuna
to tune to provide future
seed. Only four lots of seed
weie planted without being
cleaned.
Feed Grain
Stock Down
Just how well the euirent
“diveision” piograms for feed
giams and wheat are accom
plishing one of their mam
objectives is indicated by tho
Depaitment of Agriculture's
July 24 leport of Stocks of
Giam in All Positions, rec
ently leceived at the Agnc
ultuial Stabilization and Con
servation Seivice County Off
ice.
The lepoit showed that July
1 stocks of teed grains and
wheat weie significantly be
low the pievious year For
teed giains, this maiks the
fiist decline for July 1 since
1952
According to Fred G Seldi
omridge Chairman of the Lan-*
caster County Agneultuial
Stabilization and Conseivatioa
Committee, this repoit oa
gram stocks is in marked con
trast to last year’s which
showed wheat and feed gram
stocks hitting new highs. For
wheat, 1961 was the thiid eou«
secutive year the pievious lec
oid had been broken.
This year, however, the
July 1 giaui stocks leport
cleaily leflects the results oj
the diveisiou progianis -•
paiticulaily for feed giants,
which got under wa\ in the
spiing of 19G1 It appaieut
!v inaika a tinning point in
the dntt towaid chaos in the
teed giant and Inestock sect
-01 s ot the economy tlnougii
the evennci easing buildup o£
feed giant and wheat stocks.
As lepoited by the Depait
itieut on July 24, corn accoun
ted for the major decline m
feed grant stocks, with a 12
percent diop below the July
lecord ot a year ago.
Barley khotyed. the shaipest
pei centage decline tor the feed