Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-01-21
TO MAKE GOOD SEEDS.
SECRETARY WILSON DISCUSSES THE
CROSS FERTILIZATION.


/ imcntS In the United states,
at Is not new, ut least to us, but |
hope they have really accomplished
all that the story sets forth, said Soc
rotary of Agriculture Wilson after
reading an account published in the
London Daily Mail, of what was de-
scribed as II discovery of the highest
/ Importance, made on the experimental
farm of the Earl Of Winchelsea ut
: Sleaford
The alleged discovery was that the
! principle of ross.fertli2ation could
he applied to cereals, grasses, clovers,
and all other forms " agricultural
food plants The most interesting
statement next to the claim for discoy-
cry was that the Mcssrs. Carton,
/ who conducted the experiments, said
their discovery would enable England
to take the lead in supplying the world
with new varieties, and that 1t would
| be possible to grow the varieties Of
wheat in England which now are i'm
/ ported for special qualities not hither.
to attainable in English grown yaric-
! ties.
1.-THE principle of cross.fertilza-
ton" added Secretary Wilson, "is
not new discovery. 1t has been I'm.
derstood for years, but not until re-
cent years have experiments been
made to get something out of the prin.
ciple in agriculture. see the Daily
Mail says the United States has been
moving in the direction followed ut
the farm of the Earl of Winchelsea.
We have. For years the experiments
have been carried on at the experiment
stations. chiefly with reference to the
needs of each station.
Scientific agricuturists know we'll
that it is as practicable to improve the
qualities of wheat and grasses rs il is
to improve horses and sheep. do
not think il has been claimed by any
Of our experimenters that they have
succeeded in getting new varieties of
wheat that will displace other vario-
ties. More attention has been given,
! believe, to securing better cereals
by selection of heads Of wheat and
other grains, as they develop in fields,
or varieties found to- be suited To GER
tain soils and climates.
1T was some years ago that in my
own state of Iowa experiments in
cross-fertilization brought us IL new
rose. We had the old fashioned wild
rose with half dozen petals, but
with abundance of fragrance and foil.
age. BY crossing this wild rose with
Japan rose, we got flower of some
one hundred petals, n fine, fragrant
thing, with the hardy quality of the
wild rose, its rich foliage, aud great
increase in the number of its petals.
"To Jump Mt the conclusion TINT tho
experiments at Earl Winchelsea's farm
are conclusive and the beginning of
commercial success seems To me un-
safe. IL takes some time To reach
conclusions in such matters. There
are circumstances to be accounted for
the seeds may bring plants that show
reversion. But there is no doubt that
if new seeds are needed, aud expert
ments are directed to their production,
they may be obtained.
T.. W. Allen of the experiment sta
ton service said the greatest improve
ment in seeds in this country was OBJ
tanned by selection from the best fields
growers favOring those specimens
that promised the heaviest yield per
acre with the retention of other desir-
able qualities in the wheat Expert
a. L.1 t.1 - r
the stations with reference to improy-
ing the value Of corn ~ n food. IL
was desirable to impart greater pro.
portion OF nitrogen to corn. The ex-
periments had been carried on with the
expectation of discovering how to get
the nitrogen into the soil and then
into the corn itself. Some success
had attended the experiments.
"Other experiments, said Mr..
Allen, Involving a recognition Of the
principle Of crOss.fertilization have
been made to reduce the proportion Of
cob to corn. The seed growers are
never weary of persisting in these eN-
periments. The man who succeeds in
finding way Of producing corn that
will have the least possible cob will
discover a Klondke in agriculture. A
good deal OF attention has been de-
voted to experimentation to ascertain
the wheat best suited to smut resist
ance. Smut is one Of the troubles Of
the farmer. II science can add
chemical or other quality to wheat that
will make it reasonably immune from
smut without losing any good quail
ties already possessed, it will have met
long-felt want. New York Times.