Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-11-22
.aGRXGUNYUnANA.

ON THE NECESSITY OF CHANGING
SEED.
Have you found it of service to change
the seed of plants, from one soil or
climate to another, and why From
the almost universal adoption OF the
practice, it seems that experience has
fully justified it. lnthe case of exoics,
thai do not arrive at perfection in an
alien climate, il does not seem won
dertul; but in the case of nauralizcd
vegetables, cannot explain it,
SIR--Not having access to a COM
ple,e set of your useful work, am not
aware of what discussion it has furnish
ed on the subject of the necessity OF a
change OF seed in the cultivation Of corn ;
but as an endeavor, however humble,
to fix the principles OF that necessity,
may at the approaching season not be
unineresting 10 farmers, | have taken
the liberty of submitting what has occur
red 10 me from an imperfect considera-
ton oft
| understand belief in an abstract
necessity for an occasional change OF
seed to be very generally entertained,
and to be founded on supposed repng-
nance between The soil of farm and q
succession Of plants; and those with
whom | have conyersed unable TO &C
count Tor 1t, consider it sufficient to say,
the soil ,ires of the plants, or the
plants Of the soil. In this 1t appears 10
me, therr is much de!usion for hold
a5atrgcted{y, there is no efficacy in, and
therefore no necessity for a change OF
SEED. The grounds of this opinion l
shall endt avor to explain.
Without going ito the pever-to-be-
determined "a SION, W1at is the food
OF plants? I take i, for granted lha, each
species Of egetable has lis peculiar
pabnlom, add hat this peculiar matter
must exist in uhe soil in which the seed
of that plant IS sown, otherwise ii will
NOT be produced IN a perfect Stale. Ii
any particular species Of vegetable be
repeatedly cultivated in the same field.
il nay 50 exhaust S food in that soil,
that the latter will become unti, to pro
duce the plan, in PERFECTION and other
circumstances, such as the application
OF certain manuees, may incapacltate q
piece of land from carrying par lar
species of plant to maturity. Bu', IN
this case, mere Change OF seed viii,
not prove remedy. Something mus
be done 10 restore 10 the land the pabu-
lum oil the plant soughtto be cullivaled
in it, otherwise a change of seed wiz
prove of no avail A gain, | conceive
that plant after being deierioratel, by
unfiness of soil, inadeqaacy of climate.
or faulty cultivation, may be restored b.
being transferred to better soil, or a more
genial climate, or by being more care
fully cultivated. Bat this is no proot
OF an abstract efficacy in change OF
seed. Here there is a concomtan
change of circumstances, which PLAINLY
accounts for the Improvement; for we
are entitled to hold that corn, once de-
generated, cannot be produced in more
vigorous state, unless it be transferred
to land different in the Circumstance
.ether of climate, soil, or cultivation.
Still further corn crops may degenerate
by the gradual operations OF some IN
favorable climate, or by the natural bar
renness of the soil in which they are
raised. In such case the farmer tiads
an advantage in having recourse to fresh
seed, the product Of mnre genial eli
mate or better land, or even of neigh
boring farm under the same circumslan-
ccs of soil and climate as his own, if the
corn produced on that farm, from being
more fully related to good stock of
seed, happens to be less degenerated.
This, however does not furnish evidence
\ of an abstract efficacy in change Of
seed; for it is as clear that the farmer
N would not have bettered his circumstan-
/ ces had he not obtained seed ola quality
superior to that which was on his own
\ farm. A gain, we know that crops may
! become deterioraled, by tho adoption of
/ the too general practice of sowing corn
nearly as it grows, using little pains to
| separate the good seeds from weak and
imperfect ones; or by faulty 70 alton,
or by many other circumstances of mis-
| management. Il such case it may be
temporary improvement to obtain a
/ fresh supply of seed. But this does not
/ establish the abstract efficacy of a
4 change; for still the improvement de-
ponds solely on the farmer having Sc
| lcc,ed seed Of quality better than his
| own, otherwise it would be absurd to