The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-01-13

ttttl.
Seed Corn.
Notwithstanding the care We may
give 10 tho preparation of our soil, and
to the growing crop, if We have poor
seed we must hope for scanty
return. If southern corn be planted
on northern soil, we cannot expect the
crop to mature, and our labor has been
misdirected and lost. If in New Eng
land we depend upon Western corn for
our seed, we meet with failure, because
our climatic and sol conditions are I'M
suited. All this may be readily admitted,
but how many farmers consider the i'm
portance of the variety or habit of tho
seeds they use, when such seeds nomi-
nally belong TO the property variety
One man selects his seed year after year
from the longest ears, another from the
largest ears, few perhaps give atten.
tantion to the habit of the plant. while
the majority select at random the best
appearing ears without regard to any
particular type. How many corn fields
DO we see with eight and twelve rowed
corn standing side by side. In how
many do we see uniformity of pro-
duct? Yet the law of resemblance holds
as true in the vegetable as in the animal
kingdom. Each fruit produces after it,
Kind in the same manner as each animal
bringeth forth it, kind.
The seed j. the elimination of the
plant growth in the direction of repro
duction, and within its covering lies
concealed the effect of the forces which
have produced il, and which are to in
tluenee its own development. -. These
latent forces ofthe seed, both reproduce
i've and nutritive. are important, and de-
serve the recognition of all who grow
crops, either on the farm or garden.
The benefit Of the reproductive forces
are illustrated very markedly in the So
called pedigree seed of the sccdsmcn. In
England. IIallctt's pedigree wheat oc-
cupies prominent place. while here
the pedigree onion seed is advertised
under this name, and varieties of cauli-
flower and cabbage seed. rs we'll as nu-
merous other vegetable seeds are sold
at higher prices. on account of the at
tcntion given to their selection.
We wish 10 call attention to the fact
short, and yet both belong TO the same
rlItltN Ffttl ullkt. 81 IuI
a. can be determined by our ob.erva-
ton. If we plant tall growing cauli-
Hover, we get this variety; if we plant
dwarf one, our resulting plant is
dwarf. And this, notwithstanding that
if the seed of the two varieties were
mixed in the package, the mixture
would never be surmised until the plant
had grown. We thus see that the seed
carries within itself the habit of tho
plant.
Now We may have two varieties of
corn; the corn grain of the two varieties
may appear alike TO the eye, and appear
to be of equal worth. Yet when planted,
one may grow large foddering plant,
and the other small foddering plant.
The one may be prolific, the other far
from prolific. The one may arrive at
an earlier maturity than the other,
and again one may be as worthless for
profit, as the other is valuable.
These are among the possibilities of
our seed, and therefore the wise farmer
viii not only depend on the fertility of
his land and the clean and seasonable
culture. but will use the utmost care in
selecting hi- iced, in order that he
may obtain that variety which is suited
10 his soil and one which comes from
prolific yields, ifpossiblc, from the time
when the memory of man runneth not
10 the contrary. Consider that the yield
of corn field depends not so much
on the size Of the ears as on the
prolific habit Of the plant, combined
with reasonable size. Authors state that
the Weld of pop corn is no wise inferior
"a that of field corn, as the double-ear-
lag habit makes up for the smalness Of
car.
Again, other things being equal, the
large graius (of the Variety are prefer
able to the smaller grains; or more cor
rectly, through the use of screen, sep
arate the small and the overgrowa grain
from The large medium kernels. 1t must
be remembered that the embryo Is sur
rounded by substance which acts as food
10 the young plants, and nourishes the
growing roots until they are in cOndi-
ton TO feed on their proper food as CO.
tanned in the ground. The larger the
supply, the more vigorous must the
young plant be, and the more able to
cope with the dangers that ever beset
the period of infancy. The corn sprouts
and throws set of roots downward in
w VIZ Noi W. anu tiiiN cilOot upNuIu-,
and the material of which these new or
gans are formed comes from within the
envelopes OF the seed. Can anything
be palmer? The more uniform the con-
dition of each seed used, the moro uni
formity we would expect to exist in
the young plant.
That is not all theory, let us quote
the results ofsomc experiments made on
beans by foreign observer, DIR. Gus
tave Marek. We condense from tho
weekly Tribune.
Beans and peas were planted in the
garden, small and large seeds being
placed In adjacent plots. The crop was
carefully watched during growth, and re-
peatedly measured, and at harvest care
fully weighed. The larger and more uni
form growth ofthe plants from the larger
seeds, from the beginning to the end OF
the season, as well as the Increased
crop was plainly indicated as below.
Plants from Plants from