The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-01-30
NOTES OF THE FARM E:
By w. F. Massey OF A. & M. College, 3


We are getting more encouraging let
7rf~ from the readers. One farmer III
Western North Carolina writes: Il
have been following your directions Tor
saving seed corn given some years ago
and latcly repeated in your Bulletin and
letters ana | want TO tell YOU that 1t IS
success, / had corn this year that made
five ears 10 the stalk and my neighbors
are already wanting nay corn for seed
This is all right there is nothing more
certain in plant life than the force OF
heredIty Our farmers have been eXper-
iencng that force in the saving OF seed
corn i'm the pa>t from the biggest ears
only These biggest ears inherit a ten
drncy to make no other ear above tnem
as they are almost invariably the top ear
But when q man begins to study his
plants and breed for the general charac-
ter Of the plants he wants, the force OF
Inheritance * thrown i'll his favor. The
smaller car below the largest one inner
lis the tendency to make another OF more
above ii. ana also inucrltS the tendency
to make ears closer to the ground and 10
nake Il more sturdy plant that viii be
less liable to be blown down by storms.
We need to breed back our corn out Of
50 ban 81 .he barren stalks in the field.
Tbs can he accomplished only by proper
selection in the field from 4 study of the
whole plant. Never allow Il barren stalk
10 riren a taSsel III the part Of the field
you are saving for seed. and never take
TIE top ear for seed. but always the low
ar one and YOU will be breeding for Z
prolific corn.
The same rule will apply 10 all OF oar
cultivated pants. 10 breed - q higher
perfection requires a study Of the char
acjer OF the whole plant and merely
single feature of the plant. There Is
handy farm crop that cannot be great
~ improved by such selection. Suppose.
man is trying 10 improve his cotton,
ana selects seed merely from the largest
IollS. He may Get the big hollis but il
they are taken from Il long lilnbed plant
and one that makes but few twin bClls
he may be getting Il really unproductiye
plant. But ii he takes the whole plant
into his study. notes that the plant has
Il compact habit. IS short pointed and
fruits frequently III pairs of hollis instead
Of single ones. the bOlls may be smaller
rule. but the plant viii make up in
TrClHlcacy. and he will be on the right
rracI, and instead of Il lOng-lcgged plant
and big bolls. viii get Il compact and
1rCi5ful one.
The same rule can be carried into the
garden plants that one cares to save for
seed. such aS tomatoes, cabbage and
other things that can be improved in oar
climatic. But with the srea5 advance i'll
the production of garden seeds there are
few thar one can afford to grow i'll this
climate. Seedsntn have long snce
no, III,
dHce the best seeds of various kinds, and
they have them grown where they are
grown best. Badish seed IL this coun-
Try tend to run to tops rather than roots.
Ience the seedSmen who want the best
always sell the French grown seeds
which make small tops and good roots.
taulitoWcr VIII rarely seed at all in ollr
hot climate, and hence the Denmark
>,t7i Is The kind H>ad. But When it comes
10 call la@e, tne American grown seed is
universally Acknowledged to be the best
Tor American Use. Nearly OF quite all
the Watermelon seed sold in this country
are n}W raised in South Carolina and
Georgia on contract with the Northern
NtF0>M,H Ii, and We can grow Lima bean
~'td ana tomatoes and egg plant seed
Ie,ter than amy one North. But in breed
In@ each og any cf them the same rule Of
a study of the habit Of the plant is nee
>@TT. he Bush Lima beam. not so
iaI@e II planted, was prOdUced by Il farm
t1 III Campbell county Va. and bought
by 1. W. Woods s Sons, of Richmond,
WEo sold it TO Peter Henderson < Co.
81 New ork. who put It on the market.
II IL N the power Of amy farmer to SO
greatly improve the seed stock OF his
Ion that demand will be made for
his crops for seed Ut high prices. and
there Is nothing OF greater interest to a
man who Is IN love with his work than
the Improvement Of the plants he cult
Yates
Y CASTOR county farmer writes that he
j. saving ami composing his manure
and keeping it from heating He saws
that he means to scatter the manure and
lun Il bull tongue through it TO mix it
we'll with ..hc sol before planting his cot
gJn. Elr, his neshbors Jcll him that he
ean1ot make cotton without commercial
fe.t.lzcTs. Well. if II i'll plenty Of home
made manure and get my land into the
aest state of preparation. l would take
All the risk of raising cotton. Still l he
I-eNe that if a farmer has an abundance
81 l@anurc-and there are few that have
tue place for il is broadcast Oh the
-'li to % into corn. Then follow with
ut and the wheat peas OF which
Neral dose Of acid phoSl hate and pot
-" has been used Nov the peas for
'.| /" make more manure and th,n grow
me cotton without amy direct fertIiza-
D"H. At every round of this rotation
you VIII lind your cotton increasing. and
ven VIII have used in the three year ro-
'"l"n acid l.ao<phato and potash but
,".I. AMI have bought; no high priced
it!AIzer. Your cotton crop Will be
yours. Tor the hay crop Will 1T least pay
i' cost Of the acid phosphate and potash
'11 |oor land will set it back in the
MANURE 20 Il large extent and YOU viii
,e' III" profl 70 he made from feeding
j4e c&tl" The d!rtyt np,,Il,lattion OF
S''hie manure to the cotton crop may