Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-03

improvement of seed implies not only an
improvement in cereals, but in all the vege-
tables and fruits and even grasses. Our adj
vice has always been, purchase the heaviest
of every kind, and in doing this you may be
sure you have the plumpest and best matured
seed. 1t was wise regulation when meas
urement was made subseryient to weight.
Previous to this timo there was a premium
on poor, light seed, but now every person
who sells grain or seed of any kind is inter
ested in producing heavy seed. Light seed
would entail loss, because tie seller would
have to furnish more than bushel in meas
urement, and heavy seed would be q gain,
because less than bushel would be required.
Then again, every farmer is interested in
knowing, when he purchases seed, that it
will produce its like. 1t is certainly true
that every species will produce its like, but
this is by no means true of every variety.
Certainty can only be secured by the most
careful selection, not only in the matter of
seed, but also in the location of planting
Varieties are prone to hybridize, and some
do this so readily that it is almost impossible
to keep them pure unless planted alone, far
away from any other variety. Squashes,
pumpkins, cucumbels, and the different varie-
ties of corn are good examples of this tenden-
cy.
We have some curious examples in the
| propagation of fruits and vegetables of the
| same species. The tomato and potato be-
long to the same family, but the potato be-
| ing propagated from the tuber, little atten-
ton is paid to the seed, while in the case of
| the tomato, being propagated from seed,
| pedigree becomes of great importance. If
| seed of the Canada Victor or Boston Market
or any other variety, is purchased, we have
the certainty that we shall reap Just what we
| so ", and yet these different varieties came
-
walton and careful selection of plants, and al
SO of seed, we have succeeded in wonderfully
| improving the fruit over what it was half
| century ago. We can make such selection
| of seed as to know before We put it into the
| ground exactly what kind of fruit we shall
| have, and what its exact shape shall be.
| The same is true of the onion. We purchase
| for certain variety and we are certain that
we shall have exactly that kind when the
| bulb natures, and if We want to improve
upon that variety we select the best onions
| in the crop, and planting these from year to
| year, with good culture We are sure of secu-
ring an improved variety; a new one we
cannot obtain unless by bringing together
two varieties.
With the potato this is entirely different,
for MS we depend on the tuber for its propa-
| cation, no attempts have been made to fix
variety in its seed. In other words the seed
of the potato has no pedigree. For instance,
we take a hundred seeds from the ball and
we obtain hundred plants but not one of
them will be like the tuber we planted, and
no two alike. The tomato and the potato
afford us good examples of pedigree and GER
tainty ON the one hand and no pedigree and
uncertainty on the other hand. For fruits
the strawberry is a good example of uncer-
taintY in propagating from seed, but from
the runners it will reproduce its variety. No
attempts have been made to fix the variety
in the seed, because of the ease with which
it can be transmitted through the runners.
A thousand seeds might be taken from bed,
all of one variety, and if these are sown and
all terminate, it is almost certainty that
not one will be like the plants from which
! they were taken. - CultiUdtOr.