The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1843-10-05

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found here and there. and 90 seldom. ths.
.hey are considered pIodigies. Every
body almost, when he wants a improved
article Of this kind. purchases some cele-
braied kind Tor trial. which nav or mas
not DC what . represented, Or may or
may mol SUIT his soil or his elimae: 81,
never thinks ofimproving what ne has Il.
ready got. No one ever thinks OF crossing
the breed Of bis carn. wheat, rye or oa,s,
and inns improving ihem; and very few
even lake the trouble Of selecting Inc bes.
Of that which they have Cor seed Le,
me assure the farmers that lhey ran inn.
prove their corn and all Other crops by
cross breeding. JUS, a. easily Is lhey ca,
their animals. They can change he size
and color Of The cob; make the corr early
or late, yellow. or white, soft or flin,y :
all ~ cross breeding, with no cost and
very lilile trouble.
Generally all thar Is done 10 improve
our crops Is by manuring the land and
cullivating The growing plants. Now Cor
. moment LEI Us see how il would do IN
improving animals, merely 10 feed them
well and give Them good slabling, paying
no attention al all 10 the selection Of bree.
ders. All will admit that stock raised and
kept IN this way will soon . run out" no
matter how good il may have been al The
beginning. Well, what is high feeding OF
stock bur analogous 10 high manuring Of
lands The one feeds the ca,ile. the 9th.
er leeds the crops; neither does any thing
more Than supply the wants Of lhe indi-
vidual animal or plant. II does not and
cannot change the character or quality Of
is progeny. Whan feeding. either OF
plants or animals, does all il can, does
no more than simply keep the individuals
as they were, IN reference 10 their nature
lit generally produces good crop, or a
fai animal, and that is all.
But" | anticipate shall be asked,
show are we To improve our corn, wheat,
DC by cross bleeding"
Wheat, rye, and oats may all be treat
ed alike--and The process given for one,
will answer for all. Take several good
kinds Of wheat, bald headed and bearded,
blue stem, purple stem, red and white,
i've or six kinds in all; mix them toge,h-
er thoroughly, and SOW the parcelin some
good ground at q considerable distance
from any other wheat field. Al harvest
time 90 into the field and seleci The best
heads, those that are the largest. best FL
led, and that contain the best grains, on
the shortest and most robust stalks, and
keep the seed for another years sowing.
The next year al harvest make the same
selection for seed Continue this selection
for two or three years, and then you will
find you will have wonderful improved
variety Of wheat. But 10 keep the qua
lily OF this new wheat up TO its Standard,
and even 10 continue the improvement.
you ought always TO select quantity for
the succeeding years sowing in the same
way. This is moi as troublesome as at
FIRST sight il appears iobe. half BUSH
ell or bushel of seed wheat may easily
be selected in This way in a few hours
hours ,ha, possibly might not have been
devoted 10 as profitable employment.
The cross breeding Of corn requires a
little more trouble. You have an excel
len, kind Of corn, but il is late in matur-
ing and has rather large cob. Selec.
some other kind Of corn that ripens as ear
ly as you desire, and has the right sized
cob. Plant your late kind as early in the
spring as you can. in every alternate hill,
leaving The other hills vacant. AT later
period, say 20 to 80 days later, according
TO the difference between the two kinds,
plant The vacant hills with the early corn.
The place Of tie experiment should be
r, mote from any other corn field. Gull
,ivate both in the usual way, until you
observe tassels of the early kind begin
ming push. Then carefully cut out the
iassels of this early kind do nothing to
the late kind. Watch carefully and Gu,
out the ,assels as they appear from this
kind. When the corn is ripe select all
the good ears Of The early kind for next
years planting Plan, this selected seed
in the usual way the second year, and
wnru ripe svrovt',uV ..--~---~-
Iicst ripening You will find in these ears
variety of grains in shape and color. and
Of different quality-.herc will be grains
resembling both original parent ocks.
Now selec, the grains that suit you. All
The grains will produce small cob and
early corn; but some Of the grain on the
cobs may be small and inferior like the
original parent; therefore on this the third
wear, select the grains. Generally this
third planting will establish the variety
bu, the better way is to continue TO Sc
lcct your seed every year. You may
now select seed wi h view to increas-
ing the number of ears to the stalk; but
take care to avoid selecting small ears
simply because theie are many on the
stalk. t. you find stalk with three full
sized ears, il is better to take them than
those from a stalk that has four small
ones.
n. .L.ss ...o,., ,or, is suscentahle of