Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-01-31
The Farm work-s,,o.

convenient and well-equippedw work
shop is one of the essentials of the
farm. 1t need not be large nor expens-
sive, but it should be ample to afford
shelter and comfortable place to work
on rainy days or i'll the stormy months
OF winter. A good plan is to provide
room for the workshop Mt one end of
the house or shed which the thrifty
farmer builds for the storage of his
farm machinery. The shop should have
workbench, wise, saw-horses, and the
necessary tools for the work of con-
struction or repair. And it would be
we'll to add cheap forge and anvil for
use at times when it is not convenient
to go to the neighborhood blacksmiths.
And the farmers boys should not only
be permitted but should be encouraged
to use the tools, and learn how to keep
them in order. The average boy pos
sesses some genius for construction, as
Well as q bent toward destruction, and
the former should be developed and
directed to useful ends. Many q boy
will Acquire skill in mechanic arts if
given half q chance. Give the boys a
chance and humer their genius wherein
1t shows the least trend in the direction
OF industry and utility.
Selecting Seed Corn.
Given field of corn, says Prof. San
born, how shall We proceed to select our
seed? Here again, we must bear in
mind that every Characteristic is as
hereditary as are the traits of domestic
nimals-disease, shape, maturity, pro-
Efficacy, etc. We must fix an ideal tyne
OF not only the ear, but of the plant it.
self, just as much as Bates would an
ideal type in cattle. 1t 10 grevious
fault that in selecting seed for corn we
do it in the barn. No seed is or can be
we'll selected that is not selected in the
field and after inspection of the plant
that bore the ear. Is not the stem and
the leaf of the corn plant part of the
plant itself, and is not its character Of
consequence? If 80, how? The seed Of
the whole plant will, of course, repro
duce not only the form of ear, but Of
stem and leaf as we'll. Now we do no
want plant that falls over from weak
ness of stem. This is especially true O.
the West, where husking in winter is
frequent sight. If the stalk falls owe
into the soil below it may be frozen il
the ground, and in any event will husl
harder. We do not wish for larg
amount of stalk and little of ear
plant that runs to foliage. We do no
wish for tall stalk, but rather o shor
stalk. not too heavy at the butt, no
coarse. We desire one of large lea
development, of rich color and vigorou
look, and free from disease. We wan
to note what part OF the plant the ca
grows on, and whether it gives single o
twin ears. We desire to know at wha
time the ear natures. Very little o
these important matters can we know
unless we go into the field and selec
! our corn.
Referring to Darwin's experiments
Prof. Sanborn says:
Darwin's trials showed that cross-bre,
plants grew 30 to 40 per cent. faster, i,
some cases, than certain bred plants
and that certain inbred and cross bre,
plants, when placed under most favor
able conditions, with food and water i,
abundance, grew quite alike in amount
but that when the same plants wer,
placed in one box, in the struggle TO
existence between the two under limited
conditions the vitality of the cross -bret
plants was manifested by decided.
better growth. Darwin sums up his con
illusions upon his trials by 1emarkins
that in no instance has he found an in
bred plant superior 70 a cross bret
plant, while the cross-bred plants hay.
usually been much more prolific.