The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-08-18
SAVING SEED.
Timely Hints to Those Who Desire TO
Have Good Crops Next Season.

Timely Hints to Those Who Desire to
Have Good Crops Next Season.
We think it well to call the attention
of the readers to the need of being care
full to save good seed for another sea-
son. The carelessncss of preserving
seed is notorious fact. While it is a
well-understood fact that like in the
vegetable world practically produces
like, in thousands of cases, seed is just |
as likely to be saved from poor as from
good specimens, and then the seed that
is gathered is not well taken care OF.
The result is disappointment in the next
years crop and finally the conclusion
! is reached that the particular variety
was run out with the grower, and he
goes to the expense of buying fresh
seed. 1t is very likely, too, that such
men do not properly plant and care for
the crops-for carelessncss in one d!rec-
ton is pretty apt to imply carclcssness
! in all directions-and then he
blames the scotsman. But
! the scotsman, it may be,
! does not always sell as good seed as he
| should, and even careful grower will
be disappointed. 1t is better to save
our own seed, if we will take the pains
to make careful selection, for then we
will know precisely what we have, and
may reasonably expect that we will get
what we want another year. It's folly to
save the seed of weak plants. BY what
process of reasoning can we expect
strong plants from the seeds gathered
from such plants? Seed has a natural
tendency to degenerate, and that ten
dency must be combated, and it can be
combated only by making careful selec-
ton. Some seed pla My shows that it
has no permanence of characteristics.
We plant it and it produces something
that in some marked particular is not
what we expected. Now it is folly to
repIant such seed. Unless the plant it
produces is perfect, seed from the plant
can not reasonably be expected to give
satisfaction. 1t often requires many
years of selection breeding, some call it
to invest seed with permanence of char
{ acteristics. The term pedigree has
been attached to seed, and not inappro.
priately. If variety can be clearly
, traced back through the different stages
) of it's origin, its history may add much
| to the degree of esteem in which it is
7 held.
The carrot is frequently referred to te
+ show what care in the selection OF seed
( will do and what carelessness. in the
same direction may result in. If tho
D seed of carrot is not carefully pre-
served it will actually turn into a weed
and though plants in general will retair
their distinctive character under neglec
much better than the carrot will, still
= there is an unmistakable tendency tt
degenerate In the selection of seed
T. too. we should have an eye to early ma
|: turity. The plants that mature tn
|; earliest are the ones from which tn
O seed should be selected. 1t isalways de
IS sirable, too, that fruit and vegetable
!. should be as nearly uniform in ap
- pearancc US it is possible to hav
> them. A very considerable dc
;. gree of uniformity can be in
~ surcd by selecting seed from the plant
~ that are uniform. There is very gres
~ a carelessness frequently in this part:cr
:, lar Even in selecting such commo
" seed as corn there is SO much careless
~ ness that several varieties are ofte
q. mixed, to its detriment as a salab
IA commodity.
n Productlveness is Il matter that L
g. one need be told should be regards
,. A productive plant, as we'll as a pr
~ duct've variety, should be the OF
H. selected for seed Certain trees a
~ more fruitful than others which seem
70 be equally as favorably situated, al
6 everything points to the conclusion tn
such trees have within themselv
superior productiyeness. The same
tue of plants. Now this differen
les can not be explained, but the demo
tie strated fact is before us, and the b.
ses we can do is to recognize it and sell
nd our seed from the best. 1t is not unfl
OF quently the case that the difference
his Weld is attributed to other caus
re, when as matter of fact the dif[erer
e in the quality of seed is the sole eau
;la' Let us prepare to save good seed Il
season. Weste1lt RurQl