Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-04-09
SICK TO srANpARo vARlsrlEs.

! STICK TO STANDARD VARiE lies.
| At this season of the year, when farm
ers are investing in seed for the garden
and field and in breeding stock for the
| improve ment of their flocks and herds,
there should be frequent advice given in
the matter of sticking 10 standard vari-
| ties that have been proven reliable and
reasonably sure to bring certain results
under proper cultivation and treatment.
| There is no reason why the person Of
wealth who is farming for the fun of it,
and not for livelihood, should not in-
dulge in all the novelties that adorn the
| seedsmen's catalogues and breed his ami
mails in the most unheard of way, for he
can afford t experiment along these
| lines, but the farmer who is in the busi-
ness for living, and with the hope Of
making something besides, should not
indulge very much in such luxuries.
We often meet those who want TO
startle the agricultural world by the in
PRODUCTION of a new fruit or flower, and
who seem to think they can improve
upon the well-established breeds of ami
mails by crossing them in some system
attic way, thereby intensifying the best
qualities of both breeds and eliminating
the inferior. The former of these will
probably feel chill permeating their
enthusiasm when they read what an
amount of work was done by the origin
ator OF the Concord grape. In 81 wears
of earnest application he grew 22,00O
grape seedlings. He thought he had l25
vines that were worth saving. As he
studied them longer and more closely,
more impartially and more scientifically,
he dropped one after another, until at
his death, on Sept. %, 1895, he had re-
duced the number TO 81, seconding to
his record, the chance of originating
valuable grape is one in l0i7. As his
Concord is bis one really great, unsur-
passable origination, it may be proper to
count the chance of securing great
originatiOn as one in $4,000, in the line
of grape seedlings. Even the Concord
was partly a chance product. lt has
stood the test since 1S43, and it would be
brave horticulturist who would venture
to predict its failure or its Ousting by
some other variety, or even a check to
its growing popularity, but it cost
great effort to produce it. The breeds
of cattle of to-day are the result of cent
and it would be stupendous undertake
ing TO attempt TO improve upon them in
the ordinary life of an individual by
crossing or intermingling. The pure
breeds may be still further improved or
their influence upon scrub animals may
be beneficial, but we must recognize the
merits of the established breed over the
result of crossing or intermingling.
IL may seem a small matter TO devote
a limited area in the garden TO the varie-
ties advertised as novelties, or to set
small fruits about which there is some
question as to hardness and bearing
procivit:es, but as long IS there are va
rieties of well-established reputation in
every line of fruit and vegetables grown,
there is no need of spending money or
devOting time and labor to uncertain
things, except so far as one can stford TO
go from pleasure or to crafty personal
curiosity. When the novelties have be-
come established and gained u reputa-
tiou then invest in them.
One of the greatest hindrances TO sue
cesSful f,rming to-day is lack of concen-
tration of effort on the part of the farm
erS, resulting from the lack of a definite
object in view. We are guided too much
by the conditions surrounding US rather
than making an effort TO change the con-
ditions according to our purpose. IL
dairying is carried on there should be Il
constant and never-yielding effort to in
crease the production of the herd. If
fruit growing is the main business there
should be such conditions produced by
cultivation, fertilization aud selection of
varieties as will, so far as possible, over
come climatic and atmospheric obstacles,
ana thereby fsvOrably change conditions.
The same is true in all lines of crop pro-
ductiou, and in all channels of live stock
husbandry the same principle prevails.
In carrying out this principle il will be
found advisable and almost necessary, TO
stick to standard varieties, and TO have n
definite object i'm view in the manipula-
tion of them. Scores of new things in
the horticultural and cereal world are
brought out each year, but the introduc-
tiOn of something really better than what
we had before is matter of rare occur
renee. Too much credit cannot be given
TO the originator of the Concord grape
and to the originatOrs Of other equally
meritOrious things, but the list of such
persons is not long one compared with
the list Of these originstOrs whose pro-
ductions are of no value.-Mirror and
Farmer.