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


That DO Not Thrive There Now Exper
inents In the United states.
1T IL not new, at least to us, but
hope they have really accomplishe,
oil that the story sets forth, said Sec
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 at
Sleaford.
The alleged discovery was that the
principle of Decentralization could
be applied to cereals, grasses, clovers,
and all other forms of agricultural
food plants. The most interesting
statement next to the claim for discoy-
cry was that the Messrs. Carton,
who conducted the experiments, said
their discovery would enable England
to take the lead in supplying the world
with new varieties, aud that it would
he possible to grow the varieties of
wheat in England which now are inn
ported for special qualities not hither.
to attainable in English grown yarie.
ties
''The principle of cross.fertilaa.
ton" added Secretary Wilson, sis
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. 1 see the Daily
Mail says the United States has been
moving in the direction followed at
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 agriculturists know well
that 1t is as practicable to improve the
qualities of wheat and grasses as it is
to improve horses and sheep. do
not think it has been claimed by any
of our experimenters that they have
succeeded in getting new varieties of
wheat that will displace other varie-
ties. More attention has been given,
! believe, to securing better cereals
by selection of heads of wheat and
other grains, rs 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-fertiization brought us new
rose. We had the old-fashioned wild
rose with half n 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, fine, fragrant
thing, with the hardy quality of the
wild rose, its rich foliage, and great ,,
increase in the number of its petals.
''To Jump at the conclusion that tho
experiments at Earl Winchelsea's farm |
are conclusive and the beginning of |
commercial success seems to me I'M |
safe. 1t takes some time to reach |
conclusions in such matters. There
are circumstances TO be accounted for;
the seeds may bring plants that show
reversion. BIT there is no doubt that
If new seeds are needed, aud expert.
ments are directed to their production.
they may be obtained.
f. W, Allen of the experiment sta.
ton service said the greatest improve.
lnent in seeds in this country was OBJ
tanned by selection from the best fields
growers favoring those specimens
that promised the heaviest yield per
mere with the retention Of other desir-
able qualities in the wheat. Expert
ments had been conducted at some of
the stations with reference to improv.
ing the value Of corn as food. II
was desirable to impart greater pro.
portion OF nitrogen to corn. The OK.
Deriments had been carried on with the
expectation of discovering how to get
he nitrogen into the soil and then
INTO the corn itself. Some success
lad attended the experiments.
Other experiments" said Mr..
Allen, involving Il recognition Of the
principle Of cross-fertiization have
'een made to reduce the proportion Of
'ob to corn. The seed growers are
lever weary of persisting in these ex-
'erimcnts. The man who succeeds in
hiding way of producing corn that
vii have the least possible cob will
discover a Klondike in agriculture. A
God deal OF attention has been de-
oted to experimentation to ascertain
he wheat best suited to smut resist
nee. Smut is one of the troubles Of
he farmer If science can add s
hemlcal or other quality to wheat that )
i'll make it reasonably immune from {
nut without losing any good quail
es already possessed, it will have met '
long-fclt want. New York Times. t