Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-17
SAVING SEED.
Timely Hints to Those Who Desire to
Have Good Crops Next Season.

tlmely Hints TO Those VINO Desire 70
Have Good Crops Next Season.
We think it well to call the attention
of the readers to the need of being care
ful TO save good seed for another sea
son. The carelessness 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 tho 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 tho particular variety
was run out with the grower. and ho
goes TO the expense OF buying fresh
seed. II is very likely, too, that such
men do not properly plant and care for
the crops-for carelossnoss in one dircc-
ton is pretty apt to imply carolessnoss
in all dircctions-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 VIC have, and
may reasonably expect that We will get
what we want anotheryea Itis folly to
save the seed of weak plants BY what
process of reasoning can we expect
stropg plants from the seeds gathered
from such plantsp Seed has natural
tendency to degenerate, and that ten
dency must be combated, and 1t can be
combated only by making careful selee-
ton. Some seed plainly shows that it
has no pefmanenco OF characteristics
We plant it and it produces something
that in some marked particular is not
what we expected. Now it Is folly to
replant such seed. Unless the plant 1t
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 IL
10 invest seed with permanence of char
acteristics. Tho term pedigree has
been attached to seed, and not inappro-
priately. If variety can be clearly
traced back through the different stages
of its origin, it's history may add much
to the degree of esteem in which it is
held.
The carrot is frequently referred to to
show what care in the selection Of seed
will do and what carelessness in the
same direction may result in. If the
seed Of carrot is not carefully pre-
served it will actually turn into a weed,
and though plants in general will retain
their distinctive character under neglect
much better than the carrot will, still
there is an unmistakablc tendency to
degenerate. In the selection of seed,
too, we should have an eye to carly ma
turty. The plants that mature the
earliest are the ones from which the
seed should be selected 1t isalwaysde'
sirablo, too, that fruit and vegetables
should be as nearly uniform in ap-
pearance as it is possible to have
them. A very considerable de-
gree of uniformity can he in
surcd by selecting seed from the plants
! tnuJ are unllOrin. lncro Is very great
carelessness frequently in this particu-
lar. Even in selecting such common
seed as corn there is so much careless
ness that several varieties are often
mixed, 10 its detriment as salablo
commodity.
Productiveness is a matter that no
one need be told should be regarded
A productive plant, as we'll as pro-
ductive variety, should be the one
selected for seed. Certain trees .ro
more fruitful than others which seem to
be equally as favorahly situated, and
everything points to the conclusion that
such trees have within themselves
superior productiveness. The same is
true of plants. Now this difference
can not be explained, but the demon
Btrated fact is before us, and the best
we can do is to recognize it and select
our seed from the best 1t is not urfre.
quently the case that the difference in
yield Is attributed to other causes,
when as a matter of fact the difference
In the quality of seed is the sole cause
Let us prepare 10 save good seed thh
season. - Western Rural.