Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-07
AGRICULTURAL.
T.Rn. GlRDEs AND HOUSEHOLD.


vised the trial of new varieties, and
the procuring of seed from distant
locality. The introduction OF new va
rieties, however, rs attended with a
danger we have not pointed out. Dit
ferent varieties of wheat Will very
readily hybridize if sown IN close prox-
unity. and this IL said to be attended
with deterioration In quality a3d yield.
Hence, in all experiments with new va.
rieties, special care should be exercised
to keep them entirely separate. In the
field and in the threshing, and when
satisfactory variety is found, ut IS bet
ter to raise that one variety alone on
the same farm.
s. E Todd, who is pretty good au-
thority on such subjects, gives us, IN
the New York Times, the following OBJ
servations on the degeneracy of wheat
from hybridiziDg. The subject is one
of vital importance to the agriculture
of the west, and our farmers should
give good heed to all the light they can
obtain In relation to it. The Observa-
tions of Mr.. Todd do not detract from
the importance of special cultivation
and cleaning of seed wheat which We
urged In the article alluded to, but the
two should be considered together.
"On the borders Of the river Nile, 10
Africa, one of the finest regions in the
world for the production of excellent
wheat, the same varieties are grown
from year to year, without the least
deterioration, that were cultivated three
thousand years ago. And the same
thing may he done in this country by
exercising the same care In the selec
ton of the seed that is observed by the
farmers in that part of the world.
IL is well-established fact that
wheat will hybridize when different
varieties are allowed to grow in close
proximitc. OF course the product
would he a mixture of seed, IN which
the purity of the variety is gone. Con
seduentIy, with "A mixture OF seed, a
farmer would fluid himself in the same
circumstances with reference to the
improvement of his wheat that he is
when he undertakes to improve his
domestic animals by breeding from
mongrels or from grade stock. It is
we'll understood that such animals
grades ard mongrels-when employed
as breeders, never transmit the excel
lent points of desirable form aud sym
metry 20 their offspring with reliable
certainty, while pure-bTed animals new
er fail in this respect.
The same facts hold good in the veg
etable kingdom, with seed wheat in
particular. When Gitfereat varieties
are sown IN close proximity, and the
product, which will be On impure grain,
is again employed for seed, pnre va
riety of choice wheat may be run out
most effectually In a few years, so that
intelligent farmers who were only su-
perficial observers would be ready TO
affirm without any hesitancy. that wheat
does degenerate. The cause of degen-
eracy, aud the remedy, may oil be ex-
pressed Ia 4 few words. We have hut,
ed at the cause, namely: sowing differ
ent varieties near each other, 30 that
the grain will hy bridge; threshing sew
eral kinds together, and continuing 10
employ such grain for seed from year
TO year. Herein lies the whole secret of
the degsneTacy of varieties. III pure
variety be kept by itself with suitable
care, and cultivated on good ground.
and the grain never thTeshed with 9TH
er kinds of wheat, the purity of va
riety OF wheat with all its excellent
characteristics. may be maintained IN
tact as long as wheat may be cultiva-
ted. There is no uncertainty about
this suggestion. The idea is in per
feet keeping with the established laws
of vegetable physiology. Culnvatlng
any variety of grain in slipshod, slack
and perfunctory manner, will cause the
dest variety of wheat the world ever
knew to degenerate and run completely
out IL few years. On the contrary,
if the seed be selected every seas N
with the same care that the originator
of the Weeks wheat observed fer de-
cade of years, generations unborn
would cultivate the same varieties that
our fields now produce, without the
least deterioration In either yield or
quality of grain. - Wisconsin, Farmer.
CHANGE OF SEEDs.-I made many
inquiries and collected quite a number
OF items, facts, or at least supposed
facts, In relation to the change OF farm
crop seeds, but as it would require en-.
tirely too much space to give the de-
tails OF tenth part OF them, j must
content myself by giving a simple
statement of the conclusions l arrived
at, based. of course, upon the state
ments detailed to me. 1t appears that
any farm crop, wheat, for example,
may be much improved by culture on
q farm with appropriate soil; but there
is "a limit tn this improvement to this
variety, which will designate as vari-
ETY. A, on this farm which / will desig-
nate ss farm No. l. After the limit of
has been attained on No.
l, 1t will then, for a series of years re-
main stationary, and alter that even
with the best culture, will de.
teriorate, But if. when it has
its limit on No. 1, and is
transferred to farm No. 2, it will i'm
prove again on farm No. 2, etc, Whilst
the variety A is deteri0rating on farm
No. l, the variety B, under proper
treatment from farm No. or 3, will
improve by the side of it. Hence, the
German farmers have adopted a system
Of seed exchanges and are anxious to
obtain seed from foreign countries.
They seem to have given this subject
great deal OF attention, and take into
account the kind of soil meteorology,
and level above the sea where the seeds
were grown, and am inclined to think
they make it a point to obtain good
seeds from elevated regions grown on
az inferior soil. The exchanges are
conducted mostly by the local agri-
cultural societies. The Sonderhausen
association have made
many experiments In the exchange of
seeds, and now recommend, as the re-
suit of their experien e, that ''seeds
from a good, rich soil, to cold and in
different one, ID profitable, and rice
ii. KILPART. az Western RI.