The Colfax chronicle., 1904-01-23
FARMER AND PLANTER.
Failure to Produce Good e.ror~ Ere-
Qnently Due to Injudicious
Seed Selection.

We have every reason for e-nect-
ing large corn crop in the great
southwest next year. Whatever the
season or the effort, however. the
crop will not be ,as large as it ought
10 be, nor as large as it might be. It
is well known that heaviest crops
can only be grown from the best seed
Oh the best varieties. whether of corn
or other crops grown from seed.
Many farmers will prepare their land
well, and cultivate according to the
best methods, but will fall short of
the best possible yields because they
do not select their seed judiciously.
They will plant any fairly good
sound corn, from their own or
neighbor's crib, or, perhaps, they will
purchase for seed from the grain
dealers stock of commercial corn
shipped from Kansas or Missouri for
1eeding purposes, unmindful of the
fact that there is as much in the
breed OF seed corn as in the breed of
hogs, or cattle. Men who would not
breed from scrub stock of any kind,
VIII grow corn from scrub seed. If
an Intelligent farmer wants a breed
Ing animal, whether bull, boar, buck
or stallion, he applies to a breeder of
some reputation for what he wants.
but in the case of plants any scrub
seed will serve his purpose if it will
only germinate, and sll the rest he |
expects to attain by cultivation. and !
the favorable seasons which he al
ways anticipates. Others, we are
glad to say, will secure the best seed /
they can buy and will post them
selves as to the peculiarities of the
olHerent varieties, and will be care
fui as to the, reputation and reliabili-
ty OF the parties producing the seeds
and the dealer through which they
are secured. No sane man would ex-
pect to buy a well-bred sire of any
kind OF live stock for the price of
scrub. Neither should the farmer ex-
pect to buy good seed of pure va
riety Mt the market price of the COM
mercial product. In the case of corn
so little seed is required to plant a
large field that the price should not
be permitted to stand as an obstacle
IN the way of securing the best crop
possible under all the conditions IF
The case. 1t is always desirable that
an early variety be planted which
will mature within 100 to lis days.
ma before the summer drought can
10 its work, the seed selected should
,e grown as far north as SO to 40 de-
,rees. Varieties maturing in less
han 90 days seldom fail in a crop in +,
he far south, but usually grow too II
mall, both in stalk and ear, so that |
he yield both of grain and fodder is 1
mall. Varieties that bear the ears
rom 3K to feet from the ground i
re to be preferred for this latitude. {
here are many such varieties on the !
market in season, carefully grown t
nd sold by reliable parties. Farmers S
hould not let a few cents per acre c
tand between them and good relia- il
lie seed guaranteed true to name and o
arly enough to beat a possible i.
rought. The difference in cost per Il
ere between any sort of seed corn e
nd the best to be had is rarely more a
nan 25 cents. At 81 per bushel, a O
uart costs 6H cents; quarts, a
nough to plant an acre--would cost s.
'is cents. Common corn would cost a
cents. Difference 22H cents per d
Farm and Ranch. s,