The Iola register., 1881-02-18
Good Seed.

The farmer rarely or never insists on
pedigree when he is purchasing seeds,
and it 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 well aware it requires long time to
establish what is known as a breed, and
they are very careful in permitting q
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 un-
til this potency is established they are
known as q cross. Now, this pedigree
is just as necessary to the farmer pur-
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
a 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; 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 wel-known vari-
ETY., or mixture; of course, the results
are all very uncertain.
Years ago we planted, on . small
piece of land, some sweet corn; then, at
q 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 feld-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:
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.
8. 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-
1uced q plant of ten ears, which con-
tained 6S8 grains, or over sixty-eight |
grains to an ear, while the finest ten
ears which could be selected from the
eighty-five grains contained
)98 grains, or nearly ten grains less to
IN ear than the two selected grains.
Major 81. made similar experiments with |
barley, with such satisfactory results
Is to exceed the others in weight by
;hree pounds to the bushel.
This is matter of great importance
20 the farmer; if as much as three
pounds to the bushel can be obtained by
sowing grain of proper selection, and If
n addition to this the farmer can get
grain of superior quality, it will make a
very great difference in the value of a
product of an acre. It is therefore ab-
'olutely necessary that the farmer should
adopt all possible means to procure re-
liable seed in order to secure good re-
'ults. Farmers have tried the experiment,
md declared it successful, that chang
ng the locality of seed increases the pro-
1ucGlVeneSS VI many k1nOS Oh crops; CnlS
s reasonable, and there may be some
hing in it, but better results can be OBJ
aimed by a judicious system of selec-
ion, culture and rotation on different
sections of the same farm. Experience
md observation have proved that sys-
EN- of selecting seed and planting only
he most perfect of its kind would obvi-
tie all difficulty. That is, in planting
potatoes, plant from none of less size
han hens egg, and no overgrown
ubers, and follow this with a regular
not growing related crops on
he same ground oftener than once in
hree years. Select the best, most per-
ect kernels of wheat, sowing only such;
Ilso the best and most perfect of all
,inds of seeds, taking care to save from
he best representatives of the variety.
instead of deterioration, as is often
leard, improvement in both quantity
md quality will be the result. 1t is well
,nowa that farmers, instead of pursuing
uch course, generally sell the best, be-
ause it brings a better price, and then
hey 60 to others for seed, or plant such
s is left of their own after the best is