The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-06-16
improving Plants. by selection.

ONNS
meal 8; prairie hay 10.
Improving Plants by Selection.
From Farmers Rsview:-More than
ordinary attention has been de-
voted this year to the yearbook OF the
department Of agriculture. The pres
ent secretary from the first has I'M
pressed upon his employees the I'M
portance of producing simple, prac-
tical articles which every farmer can
understand and profit by, rather than
abstruse, scientific articles, unlntel-
liglble to nine-tenths Of the population
of the country. One Of the many pop
ular articles which the yearbook Will
contain is entitled Improvement Oh
Plants by Selection" 1t is quite SIM
pie, yet instructive. 1t shows that In
provement in this line Is as simple
and important as is improvement IN
the dairy herd. For instance; In Sc
lecting Indian corn for seed, 1t Is the
common practice to select the pest
ears at the time Of husking, the main
object being to secure ears OF good
size, shape. and having large, we'll
formed kernels and proper proper
ton of cob and kernel. This, while
good as far as it goes, does not take
the vigor of the plant into account
and hence does not accomplish all that
| is intended. The largest ears may
| grow on comparatively unproductive
| and weak stalks; therefore to obtain
| the best results, seed should be Sc
lected in the field. By patient selec-
ton, year by year, although the i'm
provement each year may be slight
entirely new varieties of plants are
evolved The article concludes with
Common methods of selection are
simple and inexpensive and should be-
come general practices in agriculture.
Every farmer and horticulturist should
devise for each crop systematic
method of selection so that the gen.
eral crop may be grown continually
from selected pedigree stock. The
common agricultural crops respond
readily to successive selection and in
every case valuable results will doubt
less reward the agriculturist's atten-
ton to this principle"
Introducing Date Enthusiastically
Wilson states that the department OF
agriculture will likely spend $4,000
during the next two years in buying
date palms for the southwest. One OF
the expert vegetable Psychologists Of
the department, w. T. Swingle, is now
in Morocco making close study OF
the African date and selecting the very
finest varieties and those supposed to
be best adapted to this country. 1t has
been found that date palms, under ir-
rigation will grow as we'll in Arizona
as in Arabia. Early Mormon settlers
in the territories proved this many
years ago; but the trees were not OF
the best varieties and date growing
never developed as an industry. The
department, as Secretary Wilson indi-
Gates Is prepared to push the expert
ment on an extensive scale. Each date
palm will be shipped in its own tub
and should arrive at its destination
without material if any injury.
Merino Wool-The wool best known
to commerce as "carding" wool or
Clothing" wool is that obtained from
the Merino. The fleece of the Merino
Is very fine Elmer than that of most
other wools), strong, elastic and Of a
good color, and besides, it possesses
a high "felting" power. Though nat
urally short, it is now grown OF good
length, and the fleece is very dense
The Merino sheep, so far as authentic
history knows, is a native of Spain
and Spain was for many years the CHIEF
country of its production. 1t was also
in past centuries much bred in Eng
land. and English wool owes much to
the Merino for the improvement it has
effected in the feeces Of other sorts OF
English sheep. 1t was also introduced
into Saxony, and was highly bred
there and Saxon wool soon came to
surpass Spanish wool in firmness, soft
ness and telling properties.-Ex.
Treatment of a Thistle Patch.-Our
advice is to manure the ground and
plow early in the spring. Thoroughly
cultivate and make a summer fallow
of the ground until time to plant corn
Then keep the surface we'll titled all
through the growing season. If you
could secure some sweeps to attach to
your culsivator, you could do much bet
ter work in cutting off every stalk Of
this pest just under the surface.-Mich-
igan Farmer.
Argentine Butter.-The Argentine Is
not shipping butter to England to the
extent which was first anticipated, as
will be seen from the following fig
ures: In the first nine months OF 1896
(from January to September) was sent
to England 1,2sO.4sO pounds; during
the same period in 1897, 594,O5S pounds,
and in 1898. 1.O72,s1s pounds. OF
cheese. 44,44S pounds went in 1886,
q. slS pounds In 1897 and 2.O15 pounds
in 1ssS.-EK.