The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-12
Plant Breeding.

Our Indian corn is not the only plant
that can be improved in habit and pro-
Efficacy by careful selection. There is
hardly plant grown on our farms or
IN our gardens that will not yield to
careful selection, says Prof. Massey in
PRACTICAL Farmer Years ago when dig
glng late potatoes we found a hill that
had forty-four potatoes, mainly of
small size. Right alongside was a
hill that had three good sized pota-
toes and a few small ones. Now, we
nave often heard men discuss the
painting or large and small seed 90
tatoes. Suppose we had taken the large
potatoes that grew in the hills with
few in the hill, for seed. They were
certainly the most handsome potatoes.
But the hill with the forty-four pota-
toes showed at least a prolific habit.
and we planted them and were not
disappointed in the result, for they
gave FAR more marketable potatoes
imam large ones from less prolific hills.
Lately we read in an exchange the ex-
perience of a thoughtful farmer who
SAID that in digging his sweet potatoes
ne found hill that had eight pota-
toes that averaged one pound each,
the next hill had four potatoes of
pound each and the third hill had only
one potato of a pound. The crop had
been fertilized alike and cultivated
alike. One plant had eight times the
crop of another. Now, we are sure that
II the potatoes from the prolific hill
We're saved by themselves and used to
start plants for another season there
would be an advance in the yield. Some
time ago one of our old students, who
is in the forestry work of the United
States Geological Survey, wrote to us
from Colorado that he had found. back
IN the mountains, a man with a little
ranch, who is an attentive reader of
the Practical Farmer. He had some
wheat that he said he had found
growing volunteer there, and planted
II on his farm. Our correspondent said
that the wheat had heads five to six
inches long and he secured some and
sent it to us. We now have that wheat
growing in our garden, and will give it
special attention and will save the
finest heads for seed, so that another
year we may be able to say what it
will turn out. The results in the selec-
ton and breeding of wheat at the Min
nesota Station have attracted general
attention, and there is no doubt but
that either the spring or winter wheat
can be greatly increased in yield If
careful selection of seed is made and
only the heaviest seed from the finest
heads planted. The same is true of the
cotton plant. One man will take from
the gin any seed so that it is cotton.
Another man goes through his field
and notes the character of the plants
and selects his seed from plants hav-
ing the character he wants and that
are prolific, and in a little while he has
a cotton that beats his neighbors and
1t is named and sold. But the ma
Jority of those who buy the seed go
on getting seed of any sort from the
gin, and in little while the cotton has
lost its original character except with
the careful man who originated it. The
same is true of corn. A careful breeder
will get distinct strain and get good
prices for his seed, and in a little
while the general stock of the neigh
borhood has been allowed to deteriorate
simply because the farmers do not
breed with the same ideal that the
original breeder had. Most of the
special strains of our garden vegeta-
bes have been formed by selection
diligently practiced year after year un-
til the new race is gotten so far away
from the original stock that it deserves
and receives a new name. The world is
indebted to the specialists in plants
for all the Improvement that has been
made In varieties. With most of our
farm crops as much improvement in
the yield can be made by careful seed
selection and breeding towards an
ideal as can be made through the inn
provement of the soil itself. We hope
that every reader of the Practical
Farmer will determine that In the fu-
ture he will attempt the intelligent
breeding of the seed of his money crop
at least, and reap the substantial re-
ward of his extra care.