Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-01-31

sOWn, when the homegrown oats
were sown to fill out the plat. At
harvest each plat was cut and secur~
ed by itself. In threshing, each sort
was threshed and kept by itself for
seed, as they were all bright and fit
for that purpose. Results: One acre
of one sort gave 80 bushels; another
sort of two acres gave about 40 BUSH
els to the acre; another of two acres,
As bushels per acre, while the seven
acres of homegrown seed produced,
upwards of ZOO bushels, as run from
the machine from the plat. That
was the best crop the writer ever
raised, and why there was so much
variation in the yields Of the differ
ent sorts 1 have never been able to
solve, soil and situation very similar,
all sown on tile-drained land and
within day or two of same time.
From the lessons learned from this
experiment, which cost me a good
many dollars, / have come to the
conclusion that each farmer had bet
ter conduct his own experiments on
his own farm; then, after a series OF
such experiments adopt such as has
produced the best results as a rule
during the trial, whether in the time
of blowing, the methods of cultiva-
ton, and the seeds sown or planted.
However, there is satisfaction in
testing new seeds, and plants, even
if, as in the case of my oat expert
ment, it should prove to be an eX'
pensive one. ! could not have salts
fled myself so quickly in any Other
way, and should not have known
that l already had better oats thar
the seedsmen advertised, unless
had tried them side by side, Will
same soil and time of sowing. From
many experiments in testing new
sorts of seeds or plants, my advice Il
to all who desire to do so land wha
progressive farmer does not desire
the best of seeds or grains to grow OF
his farm?) do not spend any NOR,
money in such purchases than yoI
can afford to lose should they prov,
not as good as you already have il
your possession. Farmers generally
prefer to give the public their sue
cessts in the growing of any crop
rather than their failures. Would i
not be more for the benefit of tn
reading public to have an occasional
failure recorded, so that the causes o
such failure might be known ant
avoided, even if such record did shov
shiftless management on the part 0
the farmer who should give such
record of his farm dOings in certain
cases? 1t is one way of gettini
knowledge, by experimenting ant
testing different varieties of farm
seeds, also in the methods ofcultivat
ing different soils on our farms ant
noting the results, and when sucl
knowledge is attained, if given to tn
public through the agricultural pa
pers, that is an excellent way of dis
seminating the same, so that farmer
can learn of each others successes o
failures as the experiments tried ma,
prove to be, on the farm where tried
the soil and location being taken int
consideration in noting results.
In my own experiments in testin
new seeds or vegetables, the grea
majority of them have proved fail
ures, but few have been successful
and in the final summing up, l fin
that could hardly afford to lose til
successes, and as to the failures,
could have obtained the knOwledg
in no other way so quickly, a
though I might have obtained som
at less expense. In reviewing tn
whole case, after long years of tarr
labor l am still in favor Of exper
menting; the best to be had is non
too good for the American farmer.
]. TALCOTT,
|