intelligent farmers from various parts of Minnesota were selected, and to them enough seed was sent to give it a fair trial. Every farmer was supplied with an elaborate record-blank. If for any reason the new wheat should be given a better chance or a worse chance than the old, especial attention should be called to the fact. Some of the reports indicated by the abnormally large increase of the new wheat that the farmer had given it a better opportunity than the old wheat, even though he did not say so, and all such instances were thrown out as being unfair to the old wheat. Other farmers were as plainly unfair to the new wheat, and their data were rejected. Out of all the instances, about forty were selected as having complied with all the conditions.

The new wheat averaged almost four and one-half bushels per acre more than the Fife wheat, one of the old standard varieties, and almost one and one-half bushels more than the average of all the wheats with which it was compared. In some few instances the new wheat was below the old, and there may be some regions where a new wheat will have

SHOWING THE STRENGTH OF A ROOT

must be hardy and it must be rich in food qualities.

From the hour of the creation of the new wheat in the gray of a summer morning, throughout its life, a careful record is kept of every event in its history, in a book which is the record of the wheat's life.

Selection plays an important part as well as breeding. At every step only the best wheat kernels and wheat stalks are preserved; defectives are rejected. No effort is spared to give the new wheat the best possible start in life. In some ways the selection may be considered more important than the breeding itself. During these experiments nearly five hundred wheats were thrown away as deficients. Out of the entire number bred, less than a dozen were retained. A number of those which were kept for future trials were especially prolific, registering as high as eight to ten bushels per acre above the old wheats planted alongside of them and receiving the same treatment.

In the spring of 1900, enough of one variety of the new wheat having accumulated to warrant field trials, a number of thrifty and

WASHING OUT WHEAT ROOTS And making drawings of them for record purposes

to be bred to meet the climatic and soil conditions; for it is now possible to make a wheat to order.

It seems fair to say that the increase of the new wheat over all old varieties will be at least two bushels per acre. In the three states of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, there are on an average about 15,000,000 acres of land planted to wheat. When the new wheat is in use over all this region, an increase of only two bushels per acre will make a crop at least 30,000,000 bushels larger than the old varieties would have yielded. At an average price of seventyfive cents per bushel, the increase in wealth in the region will be $22,500,000 a year.

The new wheat which has been grown under the direction of Professor Willet M. Hayes, of the Minnesota School of Agriculture, will be given a much wider field trial among the farmers this summer. Those who planted the wheat last season, have, in addition to their own seed supply, about 4,000 bushels to sell to other farmers, and the new wheat, it is expected, will have quite an appreciable effect upon the harvest of 1901.

The wheat known as Minnesota No. 163 has yielded as high as 42.7 bushels per acre, while none of the eight new wheats during the six years' trial has ever run behind 19.5 bushels. The average of each new wheat

for a period of six consecutive years, from 1895 to 1900, inclusive, is in no case less than twenty-seven bushels per acre, while the average of all the averages of the new wheats is 28.1 bushels per acre. The general average of the standard varieties in the region on the farms is from thirteen to fifteen bushels per acre, so that, while making due allowance for superior farming at the station, the allowance of an increase of two bushels per acre when the new wheat passes into complete sway in the northwestern wheat fields, seems far too low. On a number of farms of the higher type it showed more than two bushels

increase in last season's harvest.

The tabular statement subjoined shows in

No. 163, the wheat now under test by the farmers. In the table the first three wheats are the old, standard varieties. The table shows results for a period of six years.

YIELD OF VARIOUS WHEATS OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS.

THRESHING OUT NEW WHEAT

In earlier years. An entire harvest is being poured into the sack from the pail

condensed form what the eight best wheats have accomplished at the station. Each of these is given a number rather than a name, prefaced by the word Minnesota. Some of the eight give promise of yielding better results than have been achieved by Minnesota

Haynes' Blue Stem Powers' Fife.. Bolton's B. S. Minnesota Number.

51 21.6 24.620.4 23.3 25.9 30.5 24.4 66 26.3 21.4 17.4 24.030.4 31.5 25.2 146 35.3 25.1 21.5 22.5 28.8 32.3 27.6 149 36.2 23.3 19.9 26.5 31.8 29.9 27.9 155 32.323-3 20.8 26.8 32.0 29.0 27.4 157 30.9 22.021.4 26.633.0 30.0 27.3 163 42.7 23.0 19.9 25.030.3 34.3 29.2 167 35.0 24.919.7 27.0 30.0 30.6 27.9 169 37.8 25.024.3 26.3 28.830 9 28.8 171 35.0 21.7 19.8 26.3 32.0 36.3 28.5 18134.5 22.219.5 26.5 25.6 39.6 28.0

It does not seem too much to say that science has here achieved a notable triumph; for it has not only given to the world additional safeguards to one of the most important industries known to the race, but it has added materially to the world's wealth.

I

N an article, "Our Growth as a World Power," in the WORLD'S WORK for November, the wonderful development in the export of American manufactures during the past few years was ascribed mainly to the inventive genius and mechanical skill of our people, which have enabled us to undersell even the more advanced industrial nations of Europe. It was pointed out that our progress in foreign markets is the more extraordinary because of the general lack, until very recently, of organized or intelligent effort by our manufacturers or by our exporters to cater to any but our own consumers. With most defective and inefficient methods, we have surprised ourselves and the world at large by suddenly emerging from our absorption in domestic trade as a potent factor of international commerce.

The same result has been reached in a

branch of our Government machinery which a few years ago seemed but little likely to challenge the emulation of other countries, and is still the object of much well-meaning but ignorant criticism, not by foreigners, but by would-be reformers at home. For it is only lately that the consular service of the United States has come to be regarded by the best authorities abroad as the most efficient organization of its kind in the world for spreading the sale of goods, for stimulating home industry and enterprise, and for informing exporters as to trade conditions in every important market of the globe.

In view of the demand from various quarters for reforms in our consular system, this, doubtless, will be regarded as a surprising statement, but it is one that is abundantly borne out by the facts. argue that, because the

It is the fashion to consular service is

largely made up of men appointed for merely political or personal reasons, therefore its fruits must necessarily be bad. But it some times happens that a system confessedly faulty produces some good results; and paradoxical as it may seem, there are foreign experts who consider the frequent changes in our consular corps, which most of our reformers denounce as wholly pernicious, to be one of the reasons which explain the admittedly greater usefulness of American consuls in promoting trade.

COMPLAINTS OF THE BRITISH SERVICE

Six years ago the commercial world of Great Britain was beginning to take note of the practical character of the reports on commerce and industry by American consuls, and the promptness with which they were printed and distributed by the Department of State. The British Chambers of Commerce were

THE DOORWAY OF CONSULATE, GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR,

called upon by the Executive Council to consider "the action taken by the Government of the United States and by other governments by means of special consular reports, in order to supply their traders with information up to date with regard to openings for business in foreign countries," and the opinion was expressed that the practical value of the reports of British consuls "would be much increased if they afforded more direct and early suggestions and details with respect to trade questions of present interest." The local chambers of commerce were, therefore, invited to make suggestions as to trade inquiries by consuls for submission to the Foreign Office. In the responses to this circular, a variety of changes were proposed for the improvement of the commercial work of the

THE CONSULATE AT CHUNGKING, CHINA.

British consular service. British consular service. At the meeting of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, the statement was made that United States consuls "did a great deal more" for the extension of trade than British consuls did. The Cardiff chamber complained of the delay in printing the British consular reports. The Hull chamber thought the reports of British consuls should be given to the public as promptly as possible, "if necessary, even by telegraph.' The Newport chamber replied to the effect that trained business men should be selected as consuls, and that it was desirable that the system of the United States Government in instructing its consular representatives "to report exhaustively upon trade and commerce, either in their isolated or general phases or developments," should be adopted.

The British agitation of the subject continued, and about a year ago a commercial