Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-03-18
Seeds for the Farm.

How about farm seeds? Do you save
them as carefully as does the gardener
the seeds of his vegetabless If not,
why not? 1t will pay the one fully as
well as the other. High culture and
choice seed have doubled and trebled
the average produce per acre of English
farms within the last fifty years. Is it
not time for Western farmers, in view Of
the decreasing averages here, to serious
" ask the question, what the reason can
be? The answer is plain enough: De-
creasing fertility from constant cropping
to few varieties of grain and the con
segment lack of rotation, together with
the little care used in the selection of
seed, and hence the almost universal be-
lief that it is necessary TO change the
seed every two or three years. This has
been proved as much an error as that
shingles laid in the wrong time of the
moon will make leaky roof. But, says
one, no man can afford the tedious proc
ess of selecting only plump kernels OF
the small grains. We don't expect you
to. There Is much easier way, and
one that will. answer well enough.
How? Arrange your fanning-mlll with
sleeves that will pass the smaller grains
and carry over only the largest ana
pluDpest grain. Let the sieve so incline
that this will be easy. When you have
got double the seed you want take q
scoop and throw the grain across the
barn floor. Thus, those grains having
the greatest specific gravity will ny the
farthest, and these are what you want
for ed. Continue this for few years,
and, with good care, see If the improve
ment is not sufficient to warrant the ex-
pense.
Oil this is not new9 Well, we did not
say it was-there is not much new in this
world-but it is an Improvement on the
old plan of saving seed. and If carefully
followed for ten years will result In as
great improvement IN our small grain as
the first fifty years did in the improve
ment of the old Durham cattle, now
called Short-Horns. ],
Why not, then, breed long headed
grsinf There would be no objection to
your keeping q pedigree. Mr.: Hailet
did so in England and became famous.
We have for years been sending territory
bred cattle back to England, with long
pedigrees and at longer prices. Perhaps,
one of these days, we may send seed
grain there, with pedigrees and prices to
pay; who knowsf Suppose we try.
As regards seed-corn there are rev
farmers but use good deal OF care IN
it's selection, and yet there are capaDill-
ties here that few suspect. One OF the
chief difficulties of this grain IS that II
often fails to grow. If properly cured
and kept it is as sure to terminate as any
other e ain. If proof is wanted, observe
how sure corn is to come up early ana
stand an indefinite amount OF co,d
weather when it happens to be plowedi
under In the fall. or has been tramPed
into the ground in the feeding-y Like
early planted potatoes, 1t will lie IN the
ground and remain sound and at the
proper time come up all right, while that
taken from the crib is bound to act Gu,
riously and, perhaps; rot in the ground
after all.
The Indians used to save their seed oy
burying it in a hole in the ground IN
some dry locality and protecting It from
damps Thus the kernels undergo
gradual change-prepare, N fact, slowly
to terminate by the conversion OF the
starch into >ugar. The next best way IS
70 dry The corn in the fall. Smoke II 2
little and place IL where it will not FREE re.
Not that freez ng kills corn If it De per
feet dry. But it is the dr., log OF his
or any other grain excessively, when II 10