The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-11-04
Selection Of Field and Garden Seed,

An editorial in the Register few days
ago, on the selection of cotton seed for
planting deserves moro attention than it
will probably receive. It In, unfortu-
nately, but too true that the wiscss sug-
gestions on the ,aubject of farming, when
put into print, lose much of their power
10 do good. 4 man may be recognized
by his neighhors rs a model farmer, but
if ne unwittingly writes for the papers"
he is at once set down as q theorist, q
''book farmer" and "Othello's occupa-
tons gone" It Is true, and pity tits ',ia
true.
The selection Of field and garden seeds
is matter of no common interest, and
embraces larger margin of profit for tho
farmer than is generally suppoaed. The
time, has come when the profits of farm
ing depend upon what you can save moro
..a::: VIA. you can make. The small
leaks must DO stopped, or the vessel will
soon be empty. Thousands Of dollars
are annually sent North for field and
garden seeds which, with little care in
selecting and propagating, could be just
as we'll produced at home We have
known many successful farmers who had
never paid tribute to foreign seed grow
ers.
But to return to the selection of cotton
seed for planting. Wa would. never &C.
lect from the firat opening, but from the
second, where the seed Is we'll ripened
and developed. Any observant planter
will detect many varieties of the cotton
plant in his fields. Gume stalks, tai. and
vigorous, will have sery few bolis, bit q
superior staple; others will be very pro-
life but the bolls may be small or open
badly; others will BIZ covered with bolls
which will stand st about one thing until
frost, many not maturing at all while
others vii! ops;: freely and tho lint viii
hang out ready for picking and dry
enough for the gin. An intelligent, OBJ.
aerving man can 60 ahead and make Sc.
lections of the best varieties, and as the
select pile of cotton will always be small,
there will be no damage of heating and
iniuring the seed. The continued aelec-
tions. year after year. will produce e
superior variety of cotton both as to
staple and fruitfulness, if proper de.
gree of attention is bestowed-all de-.
pends or that.
The Georgia planters have paid more
especial attention 10 tiiu prolific character
| Of the plant. This is all very weIl, but
since the production of cotton has gone
| mainly into the hands of the whito man
and the cotton belt is continually extend.
ing, we should endeavor to improve the
staple. The supply may exceed the de-
mGnd, or come 80 close to it as TO make
the crop an Improbable one, bnt we
have the advantage of climate and should
be able to produce stable superior to all
other countries. It should be borne in
mind that cotton 10 the most popular
crop in the world, from the fact that it
can be grown over 60 wide an area and
that it is cash crop always, at all places
| and at oil times. The cultivation of it
will spread as long rs population increas-
es. DR.. Cloud, o distinguished Alabama
planter, aiw iys used the seed of the pre-.
ceeding years crop for planting. He
aaid he was sure of a better stand and q
moro vigorous plant, because all the infe-
| rios seeds would lose their vitality during
| the .WiL:er., There would seem to be
good sense in this C6r. Columbia Reg.
:ster.