Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-05-21
Facts for Our Farmers.

As a rule, far too little attention is
| gwen to the selection of seed The
old rule, as We SOW SO shall We reap,
seems to be generally neglected as
appertaining to the choice of seed by
! farmers; while in relation to moral
discipline, it is commonly accepted.
1t is only right and proper, however,
that we should accept it from the
practical point of view, and apply it
especially to the choice of seed for the
crops, says Henry Stuart in the Coun-
try Gentleman. l have been expert
menting many years in this line of
choosing the most perfect seed, but
chiefly in regard to corn, oats and
| potatoes, and the result of practice in
this respect goes to show infallibly
that the selection Of the best seed,
chosen from the practical point of
market value, greatly improves the
value Of the produce; while by sue
| cession of years practice. the actual
value of crop may be easily doubled.
First, as this principle applies to
, corn, we may be sure that by con-
| tinuous selection of the best ears, and
of the best grains on these ears, the
crop grown from such selected seed
may be greatly improved the first
year, and the selection made from the
improved ears will surely be contln-
ued in the next years, gradually to
the ultimate ability of the land to pro-
| duce. What this is, we do not know;
but 200 bushels an acre has once been
attained. With corn, the improve
ment is marked in the increased
length and width of the grains, thus
making larger and heavier ears, with
out increasing the size of the cob I'M
duly, thus giving a much larger yield
of grain. At the same time the in
creased circumference of the cob will,
more than propOrtionately to its
length, add to the product, because the
increase in size occurs in the middle,
where the ears are the largest, and as
a rule the seed selected from this
largest part of the ear invariably pro-
duces a thick ear, with round, blunt
end, instead of thin, tapering one, in
| which the grains are smaller than
others, thus not only largely increas-
ing the number of grains on the ear
but also their size.
On referring to my diary, l find that
in 1856 my corn crop made 4S bushels
of shelled grain to the acre. In 1874
the yield was 80 bushels of shelled
corn in one whole field, and the seed
used was the product Of selected ears
from each of the seven preceding
crops. Something Of this large prod
uct must be credited to the use OF
fertilizers, chiefly special corn
manure which I am using; but not all
of it by any means, for what may be
called a check part of the field made
a yield so manifestly inferior that it
was not measured but it was certainly
no more than the old yield of the orig
inal stock of seed. This selection OF
ears for seed was continued until 1883,
with the result of fully maintaining
this large yield, varying from less
than 80 bushels up to over 100 one
year.
This selection of the best grains
from the middle of the best ears was
applied also to sweet c,f"n, Of which
l grew several crops for well-known
scotsman for seed and a yield of over
/ 200 bushels of ears to the acre was
reached twice, and the average yield
for the whole of the crops was but lit
tie less. While the crop of grain was
thus large, it was the size and ap-
pearance of the ears which made the
purchaser give me So a bushel for Sc
lected ears. He paid me 81 an ear for
some ears of Mammoth sweet corn
which l had grown on small plat
from the best grains of one ear select
ed for the size of the grains and the
multiple ears on the stalks, during
five or six years previous.
We cannot doubt of this favorable
influence of selection of seed, or of the
fuller development of the improved
conditions inherited by it due to con-
tinuous high culture. This is indis,
peIsable among the conditions for
continuous improvement. 1t is the
habit of Nature either to stand still or
go back. Generally she merely main
tains the average condition. This is
uudNOlUdDl0, lOI Sno never improves
except it be by some accidental condi-
ton, and then for want of the contin-
uance of this she reverts to the old
state of things. We see this illustrated
in the wild plants and animals, and it
is the work of human intelligence
alone which improves natural condi-
tons. If these facts are made the
guiding influence among farmers, the
| average crop products might be in
creased largely; and with correspond
ing improved culture in other ways,
corn might average 70 or 80 bushels
per acre, or twice the present aver
age in a few years, and we might reas-
onably expect still further There is
no difficulty in making 100 bushels of
corn grain on any well-cultivated acre
A few years ago some New Hamp-
shire boys did very nearly this On
acre areas. This was done by field
culture of one crop only. What might
we'll improved seed have done?