Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-11-23

plants by seed are essentially ths
same IS those governing the breeding
OF animals There are two law.
which express the basic principle,
upon which breeding is founded Qr
this article only propagation by seet
is considered), viz:
The offspring tends to inheri,
characters from the parents. In 3ul
letin No. 8, the nature of fertilization
was explained. The pollen mus,
come in contact with the pistii, grow
down to and unite with the ovule
after which the ovule develops into 6
seed If the pollen comes from the
same plant as the ovule, it is self
frrtilized; il from different plant
it is cross fertilized. As was also ex
planned, plants are usually cross fer
tilted; and even plants which are
usually self-fertilized, are occasion.
ally cross-fertilized.
The offspring tends to vary from
the parents and from each other
This princip lie is in some dregree an
tagonistic to the first. The variation
comes from the fact that the offspring
lnhertts characters unequally, and
f'om the inherent tendency in al
organisms to vary. The more nearly
like the parents are in any particu
lar, the more likely is this character
% appear in the offspring. A cnar-
scter is said to be fixed when it
appears constantly in succeeding gen
rations.
In practical seed breeding it is, o
curse, the aim to fix certain desir-
BILE characters. Before a character
IN be fixed it must be originally
resent The breeder cannot produc,
Il will anew character; he can only
lake greater or less, q character
Jready present. A stock breeder
'ould not produce a bred of cattle
ith third horn on the forehead
unless the character appeared spon-
TaneOusly in some Individual. Bu,
o can breed OFF, the horns that
re there by proper selection. The
anne is true Of plants. A sponta-
neous variation along certain line
nay be perpetuated, or fixed; or a
FORMAL character may be made great
-r or less.
The variability in the offspring may
oe increased in various WAYS, such as
artificial crossing, increase or altera-
ton Of food supply, and similar
means; but after suitable individual
10 found, one which possesses the
character one wishes, at least in a
slight degree, the variety is fixed by
constant and judicious selection from
generation to generation. With the
ordinary grower of plants-the farm
ar, gsrdner, or other persons raising
plants from the seed for the crop
selection is usually the only practical
method for changing the type, or,
what is still more often wished, main.
raining the type or variety at it's
present standard. The farmers chief
are is to prevent desirable variety
which he has from deteriorating
The seed dealer produces the varieties
but frequently does not grow them
long enough to fix the characters.
Hence tho buyer finds that unless he
purchases new seed each year his
variety is running out. A few simple
rules for fixing and maintaining va
rieties are appended.
1 Give best of tillage to those
plants from which seed is to be
gathered.
2 The more generations the seed
is selected for certain character, the
more strongly is that characterized;
and, on the other hand, the more
strongly character is fixed, the more
slowly will it lose this character or
''run out"
3 Grow the parent plants where
they will not cross or mix with other
varieties.
4 In selecting the seed, choose
plant in which the part. are uniform
that is, consider the plant as
whole rather than any particular
branch. In plant which has most
ly inferior fruit but which has one
large fruit, seeds from this large fruit
are not SO likely to transmit the size
as If the seeds are chosen from q
plant in which the fruit is uniformly
large.
Finally, to maintain the stand
ard, selection must be made each
year. Plants which is rule self
fertilize. such as the small grains, do
not terd to run out so rapidly as
sorts, such as peas,
beans, melons and tomatoes.
Susan B. Anthony witnessed her
-.