The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-07-11


weeks ago your correspondent report
ed part Of Prof. G. Lewis Ncwton's 8
excellent address on plant breeding,
delivered before the Clemson College
Science Club. The following is a
summary Of the second part Of the ad-
dress.
There arc two starting points in
plant breeding: First, breeding from
selection Of either seedlings or bud;
second, breeding by hybridization and
subsequent selection. In the first
case desirable plants selected from q
large number Of seedlings are allowed
to fruit, and further selection is indc.
fDitely repeated until the qualities
desired become fixed. In the second
case sexual union is secured between
the established types, varieties, or
species by the artificial transference
Of the pollen from one to another
plant. This is styled .polenisa-
tion. When the CROSS polonized bios
som develops and ripene it's fruit the
seeds are planted. These seeds pro-
duce plants that may closely resemble
either parent: or may possese ohsrac-
teristics resembling both parents to q
variable degree.
From thece hybrids or crosses seleo.
tions are made OF desirable types, and
seeds from several generations arc re-.
peatedly selected. II, however, the
new cross-bred plant is one that may
be reproduced by division, ae By cut.
tings, tubers, roots, etc., the type is
at once fixed and the new ereation en-.
ters at once upon It's life OF utility or
pleasure.
Very nearly ali Of our cultivated
plants have been improved or bred up
in one way or another, and it may be
interesting to call attention to few
examples selected at random.
The sugar beet by careful process
Of breeding has been induced to more
than double its per cent OF sugar on
the one hand, aud on the other to
adapt itself to soil and climate hither.
to unoongenial.
The Irish potato was originally q
Wild plant, unpalatable and supposed
to be poisonous from the fact that it
WAS Q member Of the deadly night
shade family. AS high as l 200 bush.
els have been produced from one acre,
and the size Of the tuber Increased
9.em ee" ensseees Sc sege:.! rennae.
The tomato, also o member of the
night.sbade family, has come into Ise
within the memory of persons now liv-
ing. 1t is supposed to have been
brought from santo Domingo to Phil
adetphia in 1898, and grown as an Or
namental plant. The fret record Of
the tomatoes having been used 90 q
food dates 20 1912 in New Orleans.
1t is now one Of our most common
vegetables, and so much skill has been
expended in its improvement that in
1905 q specimen was produced weigh
ing seven pounds and seven ounces.
Japan plums are another fruit that
have been greatly improved, and last
summer at the farmers institute held
here two dozen varieties grown on the
experiment stations grounds here
we're on exhibition rs an example Of
what oansbe done in this line.
In the flower world the development
has been so phenomenal that the re-
suits would be considered miraculous
wereit not for the fact that we know
these new creations to be The product OF
the patient but skilled hand Of science,
When America was settled by Eu.
Fopeans the grains, fruits, vegetables
and flowers to which attention was
paid we're naturally Of Old World Qsi.
: gin, and the native kinds we're neg.
leoted. In the oaAe Of flowers, for tho
production Of which artificial condi-
lions ass:siargely maintained, home.
produced sosts vie in numbers with
the foreign. In cereals and yegeta.
b!es the majority. Of the extensively
grown sorts are of American origin;
and in fruits upon which perhaps Inc
most attention and skill have been
brought to bear, and. the greatest
stimulus given by well-organized so.
oieties, the native sorts have almost
entirely taken tue place Of tho foreign
ones. Fully s5 per cent Of tho ap-
pies grown west Of the Mississippi are
Of American origin; aud, notvith-
standing the high standing French.
names given to many OF the varietian