The Dawson journal., 1883-11-08
Seed Wheat for the South.

y
or four wears. The notion is based
upon the assumption that wheat is
more at home and reaches a greater
perfection in the North than in the
South. Admitting, for the moment.
that the assumption is true, let us
see if the fact furnishes any real ar
gument in favor of Northern seed
for Southern wheat fields. 1t is well
known that the chief obstacle to
growing wheat in the South is its
liability to be destroyed or greatly
injured by rust. It is equally well
known. from observation and expe-
rience, that the occurrence Of warm,
moist weather, at certain stage of
the crop seems to greatly favor the
development of rust. In our sea
coast counties it is next to impossi-
bic to grow crop of wheat, owing
to the prevailing moist, warm atmos-
phere and soil. Rust almost invari-
ably destroys the crop, whenever any
effort is made to produce it. In the
hill country of Georgia, the Carolinas,
Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee,
as well as in more Northern States,
the general surface is more elevated
and the air is dlier. Hence we. find
that wheat is much less subject to
rust and very fine crops are frequent
ly grown. The result is probably
more owing to the greater dryness of
the atmosphere than to any other
cause since the weather is equally as
warm during wheat harvest in the
North as it is the extreme South
In the Gulf States we find it impcs-
sible TO control the condition of the
air as to moisture, but we can meas
urably control the temperature by
inducing earlier ripening. To do
this we must have a variety of wheat
that will mature very quickly. This
fact is well understood throughout the
South. There is a practical limit to
early sowing to bring about early
ripening, since if sown too early in
the fall the fly will be likely to de-
stroy it. We are therefore shut up
to variety Of seed that may be
sown about the first of November, or
about the period of the first killing
frost, and which will develop rapidly
and mature early in the spring or
summer. Our wheat must be cut
within six or seven months after seed
ing. The question then is where to
look for seed that will be most like
ly to meet the condition. In New
York or Ohio, wheat is sown in Au-
gust Or September and the harvest
occurs in June and July, the crop
occupying the ground about ten
months. 1t is well known that plants
OF all kinds are greatly affected by
habit, 50 that any plant that has long
been accustomed by force of circum-
stances to occupy a certain period
for its full development will not
promptly change this period when
surrounded by different circunstan.
ces. Wheat is no exception to the
rule, and we find that when Northern
seed wheat that has been in the hab-
it--so to speak-of requiring ten
months from seedtime to harvest,
will not readily conform to the South,
ern allowance of only seven or eight
mdaths. Hence we should expect a
field of wheat in Georgia from Mary
land or New York seed, to ripen
later than field sown at the same
time with Southern grown seed. We
conclude, therefore, that Southern
seed wheat is better for our use than
Northern and by parity of reason
ing we should look to the counties
South of us for new and caller varie-
ties of wheat. But there is another
reason why we should go South for
seed. In counties where rust is the
great enemy to be feared, local selec-
tions of seed will always be made
with reference thereto, and there
viii be illustrated the principle of
the Survival Of the httest.' If il
was desired to colonize the region,
near the North Pole. reason and OBJ
servation would teach us to draw
recruits from Sweden or Canada
rather than from Caba, or Central
America, notwithst; finding the truth
that man is more cosmopolitan than
any animal. So likewise if we woulc
grow wheat in Southern Georgia OF
Alabama we should rather secure
seed from Central America.
The attention of Northern wheat