OCR Text |
Show Utah Produces Crop Seeds For Victory Improved Varieties Of Superior Quality Have Been Produced Utah seed growers have answered answer-ed the call for increased seed production pro-duction in 1943, according to Victor Vic-tor P. Rasmussen, in charge of Seed Certification for the Utah State Department of Agriculture. In cooperation with the Utah Crop Improvement Association, the State Department of Agriculture has supervised su-pervised the production of considerable consid-erable quantities of crop seeds during dur-ing the past season. Seeds of improved varieties and of superior quality have been produced pro-duced under a system of inspection and certification. Better than 62,-000 62,-000 bushels of certified seed potatoes pota-toes have been raised by cooperating cooperat-ing growers; the Bliss Triumph and Russet varieties predominating. A new class of seed potatoes known as "war approved" has been produced pro-duced this year for the first time. Over 40,000 bushels of this quality of seed will be available for Utah farmers to use in the 1944 food production pro-duction program. This new class of seed potatoes has been set up to supply potato growers with seed fairly free from disease and of better bet-ter quality for potato production than in sort outs from table stock. Production of certified alfalfa seed will be slightly larger than in 1942. Around 7,312 bushesl of various vari-ous improved alfalfa varieties has been raised by Utah growers in 1943. "Ranger", a new variety of alfalfa resistant to bacterial wilt, is being increased in Utah at a rapid rate starting in 1941 with just a few grams of seed, we now have over 150 acres of this new variety planted for seed production. produc-tion. The use of "Ranger" in the coming years will save Utah farmers farm-ers many thousands of dollars each year. It will increase hay production produc-tion considerably and will "stay in" more years without dying out than other alfalfa varieties. A total of 1,000 bushels of Cumberland Cum-berland and Midland red clover have been threshed in Utah this season. These two new improved disease resistant red clover varieties varie-ties show considerable promise as producers of hay and seed in all areas of the state. Remarkably high hay yields per cutting have already been received. Many growers report an average of better bet-ter than four tons per acre in a single cutting, with seed yields running better than 400 pounds per acre. There is a big demand for all the seed we can produce in the red clover belt of the nation. A total of 18,000 bushels of 1 wheat, oats, and barley has been produced by Crop Improvement grower members this past summer. The emphasis on cereal seed production pro-duction in recent years has been on varieties that are disease resistant, resist-ant, stiff strawed, and produce higher yields of better quality grain. Utah has been producing a limited lim-ited amount of hybrid seed corn of a variety suited to our conditions. Several hundred bushels of U. S. 52 is now available for use in this state next spring. This variety has constantly produced higher yields of corn sileage per acre in most areas of the state. The Utah strain of Sweet Spanish Span-ish onions is recognized as outstanding out-standing in all areas of the nation where this variety is commonly grown. Seed growers in Utah have developed White and Yellow Sweet Spanish onion strains that are in demand throughout the onion growing sections of the west. As a result of this, production has more than trebled the past year. Utah Certified onion seed will be used to increase the supply of seed available for domestic and lend-lease lend-lease purposes. Utah seed growers are already planning towards a still greater . production of all kinds of crop seeds during the coming year. They realize that the key to food production pro-duction lies in sufficient supplies of the very best quality of seeds. |