The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-09
Improving Seeds.

We know a Texas farmer, says the
American Agriculturist, who has sue
oeeded in establishing variety of oats
which Yields enormously in his particular
locality. | know others who have each
done the same with corn, cotton, peas and
Irish potatoes. In each of these cases
good, healthy variety was first selected,
which, from close ard inUeili gent observa-
ton, gave promise of desired results. Then,
besides the main crop. there wasla special
seed plat planted. This seed plat was Guilt
waited like flower garden, and only the
best plants selected for another years seed
plat By repeating this process for few
years, eliminating undesirable aud encour-
aging desirable tendencies, the variety was
established and became famous.
In the improvement Of corn, for instance,
there should be seed plat sufficiently re-
mote from the main crop to prevent inter
nolIenization. It should receive the most
careful and prudent cultivation-presum-
ing, of course, that the ground is naturally
or artifcially fertile, and adapted for corn.
Before the tassels appear, go through the
corn and remove the top from all dwarfed
or unpromising stalks. When the ear begins
to form, go through again and mark all
well-fruited stalks or those which make the
nearest approach to your ideal At ma
turity, make third selection, rejecting all
marked stalks which have fallen short of
the required attainment. And when the
choice ears are finally gathered, there should
be still another selection of the best. The
'frefined" seeds may be planted the next
year in another seed plat and the same pro-
cess of selection repeated. This, continued
for few years, will soon establish va
riety which will suit your purpose better
than anybody's mammoth" or prolific"
Meanwhile careful selection of seeds for
the main crop will have kept it up to at
least an average yield, and the surplus of
the seed plat will go directly into seed for
the main crop or into the bin, without the
slightest loss.
This is troublesome, of course, but it pays
Any intelligent farmer-and no other kind
will succeed-may build up standard varie-
ties which will suit his climate, soil, pur-
poses and market demands better than
high-priced seeds which he may buy from
remote sections of tee country, and which
may have been grown under conditions I'M
known or impossible to him. He may de-
.velop early varieties, or varieties suited to
any particular purpose. 1t is all matter
of intelligent observation and painstaking
attention. Besides filling his own seed orders
aud getting something which suits him ex-
actly, the farmer who follows this plan will
find his seeds in demand throughout the
neighborhood, county or state, and it is not
at all improbable that they will become
source of considerable revenue. But better
than all, he begins to see the opportunities
for Improvement and to fall in love with the
operations of nature. From a plodding
toiler he becomes an enthusiastic cultivator;
from blind clod hopper he becomes a
wide-awake farmer. Ten to one he will
soon begin to improve his stock. mend his
fences, brighten up himself, make his family
more comfortable. and in every way de-
velop into a better man and better citizen.
There is no shadow of doubt that he will
make more mcney-and that is what we are
after