The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1903-09-15
NOW IS THE I'M TO SELECT SECT CORN AMI
COTTON SEED FOR NEXT YEARS CROP

uuu IL Ad1u " IL" muS improvements
can be made in the yield of any common farm
crop by a little continuous care in the selection
of seed. Farmers generally are not careful
enough about this matter, but it is only in the
matter of cotton seed that there is almost absolute
Indifference. This is to be regretted. If anv ono
is doubtful as to the improvement in yield and
length of fiber that can be brought about by using
seed from the best plants only, the article on this
subject in the 1902 Yearbook of the United States
Department of Agriculture will convince him of
his error. This article is by DR.. II. J. Weber
and is mainly a report of experiments made by
different agricultural authorities in the South.
DR.. Weber, it will be remembered, attended the
sessions of the North Carolina Farmers Conven-
ton here in July, and suggested a practicable
plan of seed selection for cotton growers, which
is give herewith:
"Take careful pickers that remain on the plan
tation continuously from year to year and train
them to recognize the best plants, that is, those
most productive, earliest in ripening, and having
the largest, best-formed, and most numerous boIs.
Each year before the second picking, have these
select pickers go over the field and pick the cot
ton from the best plants only. These picker8
should be paid by the day and not for the amount
picked. Preserve such seed cotton separately,
gin it separately on a carefully cleaned gin to
avoid mixing, and. use the seed to plant the gen
eral crop the next year. IF sufficient seed is not
secured at the second picking, the same pickers
can be sent over the field again before the next
picking. In general, it is desirable not to use the
seed of the first or last picking"
If one farmer does not need enough seed to
Justify him in asking the ginner to keep the
Good from +bic c11norior cotton Sonaratn from the
rest, let him join with his n~eighbors who select
the best cotton from their fields, put all together,
and gin for all at one time.
More earnest efforts are made to get a good
quality of seed corn, but these efforts are often
misdirected. It is customary to go into the crib
before planting time and pick out the largest
ears, and while this method of selection is better
than none at all, there is yet a better way. For
the variety making the biggest ear may be by no
means the most productive variety. Quite prob
ably it was the only ear on the stalk, while a
slightly smaller ear which you have rejected may
represent a two-eared or three-eared Variety-the
stalk having these two or three smallers ears
Smelling out a much larger quantity of corn than
the stalk with only one big ear. Suppose Tor
example, that stalk No. 1 has one large ear WIFI
u 1000 grains. Stalk No. 2 has two ears with 0V
grains each-1,2OO grains as large as those Oh
stalk No. 1. Stalk No. 3 has three ears
averaging $50 grains each-1,35O grains as large
as those on No. 1 or No. 2. It is very easy to SET
from which of these three stalks your seed Shouu
be saved.
The right policy then is to go over your neu
now and select your seed corn for next year. TAX
ing the stalks whose combined output IS largest
whether that output be the yield of one' t"O' :"
three ears. If you do not haul up your own cOrn'
possibly the best plan is to go over the heloS y
the proper time and cut off the selected eaI0
with about a foot of stalk above and beIo" t'
.1AI from the