Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-08-03
FARMER AND PLANTER,
SEED DEVELOPMENT.

Would YOU Have Perfect Seed the Ccndi.
tlohs Must be Favorable for its Produc.
tiUh,
have never believed In the theory Of
small samples 10 propagate good vatie.
ties. l have never found the best %.
suits 10 come from what Is known las
seed potatoes" My experience with
nil vegetation is, as with the animal
kingdom, the most mature, well-devel-
oped stock proddues the hest result,
This Is not only expefleite, but II Il
common sense as well as philosophy
We do not select the 'scfawny," de;
formed, ill-shapen COW, hog or horse
to produce for us the animals we are
TO matWe for use. Nor the ugly, ILL
shapen twig 10 make for us beau
tiful, well-grown tree. Why then
should we take long, small, slim
sweet potato, like a rat-tail file, to
grow fine crops of tubers, or small,
shriveled grains of wheat oats or corn
to make perfect specimens OF these
crops?
No, let us change these ideas and re-
pudiate them as false and hurtful, and
expect perfect crops only from perfect
seed.
There are certain conditions TO be
followed TO grow perfect seed.
First. The seed used, of course, TO
produce them, we have already argued,
should be as near perfect as may be OBJ
tanned
Second. They should be planted In
suitable, fertile soil.
Third. They should be well and
properly fed and titled.
Fourth. They should be perfectly
mature and fully ripe.
Fifth. They should be gathered un.
der favorable conditions and properly
housed and cared for until needed.
The conditions for vegetable growth
are quite the same as for animal How.
ever, perfect the animal when dropped,
it can be dwarfed and made perfectly
useless, IL improperly or scantily fed.
So with perfect seed put into poor soil,
devoid of plant food in itself
or having it scantily furnished
to it. 1t is highly important,
therefore, to know the elements
that enter the growth and develop
ment of plants, and to know how mitch
of these elements can be found in the
given soil and how many of them, and
how much of each kind must be sup.
piled by the farmer. Hence, scientific
men are constantly giving to us the
analysis of plants and suggesting OF
naming the proper food elements for
their growth and development Such
information is valuable for success
and fear not properly appreciated by
those for whom it is prepared,
Again, can not believe that an i'm
mature seed, devoid of any given ele
ment, can furnish that element to the
seeds grown from it. This accounts fol-
the degeneracy among our crops, just
as weakness naturally comes from
animals that are themselves deficient
in vital force, until the generations alb
solutely run out and the family dies.
have been astonished at the method,
Of some farmers in housing their crops
Cotton seed, from which the succeed
ing crop is to be grown, are gathered
damp, sand after ginning, are
thrown into large heaps and al
lowed to go through a sweat, just al
hurtful to their vital force as any
damage that can come to them in theil
growth and maturity. Quite goot
deal the same management is given al
other kinds of seed.
The crops on the farms are now ma
turing. Seed may not have been grown
for the special purpose of maturing ;
succeeding crop. Let me suggest tina
we at least begin this improvement
now and select from all crops the seet
grown under the most favorable con
ditions and give them better care ant
more attention the next season.-Cor
4 ~