The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-08-19

planted ever give mature plants, from
the fact that the professional market
gardener understands the great im-
portance of purposely planting his
seeds very thickly, and of subsequent
ly thinning out Natures weaAings for
the final good of the strong ones which
he leaves.
"Poor Patrick" in his home on the
Emerald Isle always plants his tur-
nip seed very much thicker than he
would have it mature, subsequently
destroying the weakest plants, and
leaving a normal stand of only the
most vigorous and promising plants
to produce bulbs.
The breeder of live stock and poul-
try gradually eliminates the weak and
inferior by a system of mating and
selection, in which the culls, or Ma
ture's weaklings, are used for food or
are sold in the produce markets, and
only the very choicest kept for breed
ing stock.
In the cotton-growing districts of
Dixie the farmers learned years ago
to plant their cotton seed very much
thicker than it should be allowed to
mature. Then after the plants attain
sufficient size to be readily judged,
they go through the fields and cut out
the weakest ones, leaving the stronger
ones properly distributed to make the
crop.
The progress of organic evolution
favors or represses certain individual
plants, depending on their degree of
natural endowment. Therefore the
scrubs, or Natures weadings, are
merely repressed companions of the
higher. They are so used by Natures
law of retardation, and if the best
yield be secured, these weaklings
should not be accorded the privilege
of pollenization association with the
endowed individuals, for the reason
that they thereby exert a barren OF
otherwise yield-lowering influence, as
well as lowering the future breeding
standard of the variety. AS the
greater or less perfect development of
a stalk of corn, for instance, depends
on the degree of fitness of at least 100
of its neighboring stalks in a field
how very important it is then that at
least the weakest of Natures weak
lings be destroyed before they can ex-
ert their baleful influence in the pro-
cess of pollenization.
Even if the farmer plants seed of
the very highest terminating power
and of highly bred varieties, and which
generally results in good even stands
yet there are many stalks in such
growth which are Natures weaklings
or thoroughbred scrubs, which not on
ly produce inferior yields themselves
but through their pollenizing in,
fuence, they decrease the productive
ness of even natures endowed stalks
Every farmer should annually set
aside at least an acre of his most fer
tile land upon which he should plant
his best seed corn. This acre should
be planted much thicker than he in
tends it to mature. Then when the
individual stalks have attained a suf-
ficient size to be readily judged, he
should destroy the naturally weak
stalks. And just before the remain,
ing stalks form their pollen, he should
go through the patch and destroy all
barren and diseased stalks, and also
all stalks which in their more mature
growth have developed weak traits
In the second thinning he can leave
normal stand of the endowed ones
The writer has noticed that by such
practice most of the premium yields
of corn have been produced. And he
has demonstrated to his own great
satisfaction the great value of such
practice with all of his crops.
J. @. SUFFERN.
Piatt Co., Ill.