The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-06-28

by PROM :. AZ a s
Quite likely 81 yose powt; =
,s;z(I iSIiI ~ u tiss . liz =
ear. q si.gI ailky hread runs ddo&
- ea4H rud1n NY 6rnel. I hs0
. s:ss s! {; -s ss%s ". w.
CORN A f&<t1( the Kennels are Wo1I
indebted - tb9 end They ,Ase -
aud somewhat sweet, much resembling
GGreet .coyu. This IL the result OF 9
cross, shown In the first year In the
grain or fruit. It IL q very common
occurrence, familiar TO almost every
farmer. The pollen IL the male ele-
ment OF the corn; the silk and rudi-
mentary kernel Is the female. Our
breeders OF fine stock are careful In the
selection of the males, a. well ~ Of the
females. They believe In good pedi-
grees. The day has gone by when the
pig is called the animal. and the corn,
the breed implying that care and feed
Is everything; the selection OF the AMI
NAL Of no consequences. What do we
think OF o man who selects the best
calves, pigs and calves from the best
mothers, paying no attention what
ever to the selection OF good male pa.
rents? He is unwise and behind the
times. ~. ~ 800 +. su.it..e ...g
This IL just what our very best farm
ers are now doing with all their seeds
and plants. They select from . field
Of corn the largest and fairest ears. In
our fields there are usually large num-
bers Of slender stalks, bearing no ears,
or very small ones. These stalks have
tassels. They scatter pollen, and are
very apt to scatter some on the ears Of
the best stalks, which we may save for
seed. The different kernels on the
same ear may have twenty or more
different male parents, some from good
stalks and some from poor. Now.
theory and analogy, ut least, tell US II
we wish to improve our corn to the
greatest extent, we must pay some at
tentIon to the pollen used. Then, q
much better way to get good seed-corn
would be to plant a piece by itself, on
good soil, giving the plants each plenty
Of room and good culture. Before
shedding pollen, cut out entirely, or
remove the tassels Of all the poorest
stalks. In this way we should not
only select seeds from good females,
but also from those fertiIixed by good
males. BY carrying out this plan for
series of years, we should, most like
ly. get better ears and fewer. nubbins.
The size and quality would be more
uniformly good. Popular opinion, in
many parts OF the country, favors q
change of seeds from one farm, or from
one country or State, TO another. To
improve or infuse new vig0r into
varieties, or races I should more prop
erly call them, j propose, In the case
Of Indian corn and some other plants,
to get seeds FROM two places, remote
from each other, where they have
grown steadily for many years. These
seeds intend to plant near each other,
that they may be mixed. Since pre-
pairing lecture containing the above
proposed experiments, and presenting
the plan to my foreman, have seen,
for the first time, o review of Mr.. OAR
wins new work in the Gardeners
Chronicle, In which Is found the same
idea. 1.-THE advantages of cross-ferti-
lization depend on the ancestors of the
parent plants having been exposed to
different conditions, or from their
having been intercrossed with indivi-
duals thus exposed. The two stalks
would then tntercrOss with q thorough
blending Of their whole organizations,
and with no loss of purity to the vari-
ETY., and this would yield far more IA
vorable results than a mere exchange
of Seeds"
The good results of such crossing will
last for several years, though most APP
parent the first year. The changing
Of seed from one kind Of soil to
another, sometimes seems to be Of great
advantage, but just the rules or laws
which govern this change have not
been discovered. .- Js u
In o recent number Of the Gardener
Jan. 81, are given several tables taken
from Darwin's work, showing, with
numerous plants, o remarkable advan-
tage In favor of intercrOssing stock
raised for some years In different
localities
Agricultural College, lansing, Mich. 7