Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-03-15
Use the Best Seed.

strongest, most perfect males and females
to perpetuate the race. No man expects
superior colt from an inferior dam or
sire. The successful breeder Of sheep
risidly culls his flock, only retaining such
animals for his own use as combine mos.
of the qualities he wishes to perpetuate
II the offspring This one simple ru e
neglected, and the finest stud, herd or
aook rapidly deteriorates.
1t Is so generally considered that the
vegetable kingdom is subject to similar
law-that like beget5 like-that the best
crop, other things being equal, is depend
ent upon the best seed Ye. there can be
no doubt that this law is a. immutab'e e in
The one case as in the other This may
not be very apparent in the crop Of sim
Z c year, but a succession Of crops grown
in this manner viii invariably produce
this result. How many men who have
sowa shriyelled, imperfect, uncIeaned
wheat, OF even the best varieties, q few
years, but fail in their wheat crop.
'iC same IL Il ue "a AZ ttt elitalt grams
1t is the general complaint that these
grai2s soon run out, and requistion FOR
seed, upon some other locality is made, in
order to keep up the character of the
crop.
When men buy seed, at high figures,
they look closely 10 the quantity az well
IS 70 the variety They buy . superior
grain. Undoubtedly . change Of seed IS
occasional y good or even necessary
thing Just as the short horn or Devon
breeder purchases from distant herd to
mincle different strain OF blood with
that Of MS own herd; but the necessity
would certainly be less frequent, did the
farmer exercise the greatest possible care
in the selection of seed from his grannry.
No one, now, but plants the best corn his
feid affords. The best growers select
with great care, from the stalk, and place
the chosen ears in favorable location for
preserving the terminating properties
IS a consequence. Indian corn daterio-
rates less thar almost any cereal the far
mer grows. Eot on'y is the standard kept
u? bu: . gradual improvement IS often
Instituted BIZ tilis means,
There Is now a very universal opinion
prevailing in the minds of those who have
ezperimcntcd most, that the potato crop
is generally dependent upon the quality
Of the seed planted Small potatoes are
bein- abandoned for seed The germ has
rot sufficient vitality or vigor TO give the
hest results. Many very carefully con-
Quoted experiments have Of late been
made that might ba quoted in this connec
ton. We haze one before US from far
mer in Michigan lie says:
Having fitted piece OF sward, and
planted about one third of IN aero in the
usual way, with cut seed, three pieces to
the hill, selected good sized potatoes,cut
off the seed end, about one-fourth Of the
potatoc, and laid It by; planted one row
with whole ones of the sane size, one to
hill; then one row of small ones, of the
size Of hickory nut, three to hill with
stakes to mark all the rows. Having dug
the portion planted in the usual way with
vie d OF one bushc' to % hills, dug the
row Of but ends yielding one bushel to 5
hills, al large cooking potatoes, no small
ones then the row Of whole potatoes, l.
hills for bushel, some small ones; next
the row planted with seed ends from large
potatoes, oS hills TO bushcl some large
ones; and last, the row planted with small
seed, 81 hills yielding 4 bushel, all small
ones. The rows were three feet apart
and hills two and & half feet apart
We find another and moro accurate
series ofexperim ents reported in the Gar
dcners' Chronicle (London(, in relation
to the best size for potato sets, which re-
suited very decidedly in favor Of the large
sets The we'll known Pedigree wheat,
abou. which so much has been said in
English agricultural journals, WAS pro-
ducod simply by following this rule Of the
transmission Of qualities the
best heads from the field and then the
best grains from the head, and continuing
the process for a series Of years.
And what IS true Of wheat, potatoes and
corn must he true Of all our crops The
entire vegetable kingdom rs we'll as the
entire animal must be subject to the same
law, and the same result-deterioFatio
must in either and in each variety Or rae.
necessarily follow Its violation
We hope no farmer who reads this pa
per viii. the coming spring, he satisfied to
misuse his ground and impo7erish his
pocket by putting in seed Of an inferior
qualify !: IS now time 10 be deciding
upon what is to be planted Ii good seed
is not 1T hand look about and see where
i, can be procured and get IL 1. may
cost trife more 10 seed your land with
the best, but 1t j. to The result tina. the az
sention should be mainly turned.
4 British officer who is describing in
p ackwood's Magazine his travels through
the rebel States sagely observes that
'horses never kick in America" and also