The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-02-26
Good Seed.

ana IL IS as important for him to have
pedigree in seed as breeders in animals.
Pedigree is insisted upon for all animals
that are termed thoroughbred, and no
animal can be registered in any herd
book without the very best of pedigree.
This registration is the warrant that it
is thoroughbred; that is to say, the pedi-
gree is correct, and this means that ami
mails being thoroughbred have the
power of transmitting their chief char
acteristics to their progeny. Breeders
are we'll aware it requires long time to
establish what is known as a breed, and
they are very careful in permitting a
distinctive name to be applied to crea-
lures originating from animals that have
crossed upon others before it has been
established beyond doubt that the an
imals possess the power to transmit their
principal traits to their progeny, and I'M
til this potency is established they are
known as cross. Now, this pedigree
chasing seed for his crops as to the
breeder buying his thoroughbred ami
mails for breeding purposes. The many
new varieties of seed thrown upon the
market which are never heard of after
year or two, fail because they have
not the power of transmitting their pc
culiar properties to the crops grown af-
ter them. You hear of new variety of
corn, wheat or oats; a name is given to
it; it is planted, and no difference is
found between it and some other old
variety. Seed from this is sown, and it
may produce another well-known vari-
ETY., OF mixture; of course, the results
are all very uncertain.
Years ago we planted, on o small
piece of land, some sweet corn; then, at
distance from it, some potatoes were
planted, with field-corn intervening;
then several rows of beans, and then
row of popcorn. In some of the ears,
when harvested, we found kernels of all
three varieties. We then planted seed
from each of these varieties separately,
and from the field-corn we had both
sweet and popcorn, and from popcorn,
sweet and field-corn. In no case did
we find another variety; but we had in
this hybridization converted certainty
into an uncertainty, just the same as in
crossing thoroughbred animals upon
thoroughbreds of another breed. You
may purchase, in order, as you may
suppose, to obtain pure seeds, the very
best specimens you can find, and when
you gather the harvest you find you have
been disappointed. This applies to all
cereals, and in order to SOW with
certainty of obtaining the same va
riety pedigree is necessary. You
must know that the seed you are pur-
chasing can perpetuate itself. This is
necessity. In peas this is of special inn
portance. Major Hallet, of England,
says he has ascertained beyond doubt
the three following facts: tss
l. That no two grains of any cereal
will produce plants precisely equal.
2. That in the grains of any one ear
there is one which is superior to all the
Others in producing power. ~
3. And that this superiority is inherit
able-that it may, by repeated selections
year after year of the best selected grain,
be greatly increased, and finally become
characteristic of the plant.
He took two grains from two ears of
wheat, which together contained eighty
seven grains. One of these grains pro-
duced plant Of ten ears, which CON
tanned 6S8 grains, or over sixty-eight
grains to an ear, while the finest ten
ears which could be selected from the
remaining eighty-five grains contained
59S grains, or nearly ten grains less to
an ear than the two selected grains.
Major II. made similar experiments with
barley, with such satisfactory results
as to exceed the others in weight by
three pounds to the bushel.
This is a matter of great importance
to the farmer; if as much as three
pounds to the bushel can be obtained by
sowing grain of proper selection, and if
in addition to this the farmer can get a
grain of superior quality, it will make
very great difference in the value of a
product of an acre. 1t is therefore alb
solutely necessary that the farmer should
adopt all possible means to procure re-
liable seed in order to secure good re-
suits. Farmers have tried the experiment,
and declared it successful, that chang
ing the locality of seed increases the pro-
ductiveness of many kinds of crops; this
is reasonable, and there may be some
thing in it, but better results can be OBJ
tanned by a judicious system of selec-
ton, culture and rotation on different
sections of the same farm. Experience
and observation have proved that sys-
tenn of selecting seed and planting only
the most perfect of its kind would obvi-
ate all difficulty. That is, in planting
potatoes, plant from none of less size
than a hens egg, and no overgrown
tubers, and follow this with regular
rotation, not growing related crops on
the same ground oftener than once in
three years. Select the best, most per-
feet kernels of wheat, sowing only such;
also the best and most perfect of all
kinds of seeds, taking care to save from
the best representatives of the variety.
Instead of deterioration, as is often
heard, improvement in both quantity
and quality will be the result. It is well
known that farmers, instead of pursuing
such course, generally sell the best, be-
cause it brings a better price, and then
they go to others for seed, or plant such
as is left of their own after the best is
sold, and then complain that their crops
deteriorate. What other result could be
expected when such suicidal policy is
pursuedp-S0uther1aP Planter and Farmer.
NEARLY all of Ireland's 1,74O,29I
acres of bog and marsh belong IN tho