Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-09-20
AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

mania for change among the farming
population is one of the greatest obsta-
cles to the rapid improvement Of our
farm products. 1t is a popular theory
with great many farmers that, by
changing their seed every few years,
they can increase the yield of their
crops. Some of them believe that the
same seed planted on different soil will
do better than if replanted on the farm
on which it grew. Others believe that
by mixing seeds that have been grown
separately the profits may be increased.
/ have no faith III either doctrine. ! be-
leve the first TO be wholly an error,
and that the second is but little better
The only true way to improve seed is
| by high culture and careful selection,
yearly, from the peculiar type desired.
And this practice must be continued on
the same soil and under the same man
agement for long time. II is utterly
useless to think Of making any per
manent improvement in II species of
plants, by mixing or exchanging seed.
believe that any crop which is suited
to the soil or climate of a particular
farm may be grown or improved for an
indefinite length of time on the same
farm, if there is q careful selection Of
seed for planting every year, and if all
the elements Of plant food which it
needs are abundantly furnished in u
soluble form, and the soil is kept mel
low and free from weeds. Indeed, seed
will usually do better, with good man
agement, if planted on the same farm
for n number of years, because ii be-
comes acclimated and adapted to the
soil Of that farm. Early rose potatoes
for instance, grown from the same seed
to start with, will assume different char
acteristics after being grown on differ
cnt farms for IL number of years. In
some instances they will change SO as
to appear to be different varieties of po-
tatoes, yet each variation will he best
suited to the farm on which it had been
grown. If,from bad management from
any other cause, seed has run out so us
not to produce maximum crops, it is
most desirable to buy better seed and
start again, but | cannot conceive of a
mutual gain by IN exchange of seed of
the same variety; what one would gain
the other would surely lose. believe
in thoroughbred seed, us well as in thor
oughbred stock, and that good breeding
will tell in either case. Some of our
choicest varieties Of grain and vcgeta-
bles have been produced by repeated
selection for term Of years Of the best
specimens Of peculiar type, until II
pure-bred variety was produced. George
Geddes, in the N. Y Tribune, after refer
ring to wonderful possibilities in this di-
rcction, says: 81 believe that there is II
vast field of improvement III our seed
grains that has not yet been occupied Us
it should be, and that there is III the
method suggested room for decided
Improvement rs has been made by the
famous improvers of the breeds of do
nestle animals TO the enthusiastic
farmer who loves his occupation, and
is II farmer because he can derive more
pleasure and profit from the farm than
from any other business, there is II
good deal Of pleasure in this system of
selecting the best seed, and trying to
improve it every year. pleasure that
cannot be derived from continual
change -NeW England Farmer.
RAISING CLOVER Seed. c. Birdsall,
in the Clouer Leaf, says; Only obserya-
ton in regard to clover and clover seed
raising has been greater than that of
many on account Of having followed
thrcshing from my youth, prior TO my
invention, and many seasons have run
four machines. | have always noticed
that Whenever we found il Job where
there was n big yield, it was where seed
had been sown one bushel to five or
six acres, mown the last days of
June, and plastered after the crop
had been taken oil. have seen
u field where onc-half had
boon mown and got of before July |,
and the balance Of the field not till two
weeks later; and the seed that was
started first yielded three and half
bushels, and the balance one-half bush
el per acre--the difference, three bush
els This, you see, was quite II loss to
the raiser, and the hay first mown
equally us good Us that which was
mown last. have raised seed myself
that went four and one-half bushels to
the acre. ! have also taken clover
from the field i'll three different con-
ditons, and laid away in the dry, for
the purpose of knowing when was the
best time to cut seed clover. The first
state was when dead ripe; second,
when handsomely brown, and, third,
still greener; and when thoroughly dry
rubbed out the seed and put the three
piles on the plate, and could see no
difference. That which was cut the
grcenost was just rs plump seed rs that
which was dead ripe. This shows that
the Head receives MS much substance
from the stalk after it is cut to fully
mature the seed; and when cut little
greener you can save almost every