The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-10
MIR. WILKINSON
 ADVISES FARMERS
Warns Them Against Careless
 Seed Selection
EXAMINE COTTON SEED
Commissioner of Agriculture Points Out That Great Loss Often Re- suits From Planting
 Inferior Seed.

Montgomery. December 9.-(special.) g. )-In an address to the farmers, Commissioner of Agriculture J. A. Wilkinson has charged them to be very careful at plant Ing time about seed. He points out that great loss comes as a result of care lessness along this line. Cotton seed should be given closest attention, he thinks. Often they are put away good, but come out fin the spring bad so that it is best at an times to have a thorough look into them before planting. The statement follows:
 Very few are aware of the enormous loss of grain traceable, on the farm, to the manner of saving or selecting seed Most farmers instead of developing the best types of plants, are pursuing con- trary course. Corn, cotton, trucks, in- cluding melons deterioate because of carelessness more than from the lack of knowledge on the part of the farmers Instead of seed selection, the whole crop is gathered and the best with the least valuable seeds 'are saved together for the next planting. It is now too late to discuss how to save seeds in the field, but will call the farmers attention to the importance at this time of caring for his cotton seed, by not only saving the best, but by attending to the same. be sure to protect the selected seed from all dampness and heating, for should they heat ever so slightly, a certain per cent of their vitality will be de- stroyed, and while these seed in the spring may germinate and come up after they have been planted, yet the little plants are liable to be dwarfed and will not grow off vigorously Last spring furnished a lesson that should convince all as to the importance of this truth, for during the previous gathering season, most of our cotton seed had been gath cred and ginned damp and injured. This was caused as you know by the contin- ued wet weather during the picking sea son, and though the germinating power remained in enough seed to get in some places a stand of cotton, yet as the nitro gen had largely escaped it required about 30 days for the plants to react in the soil from this back-set and begin to grow.
 Cotton Seed.
 If your seed are bad, exchange with
 
 own. In case you buy advertised seed, IL is well to get seed that were grown on soil like your own. Plants developed on any particular type of soil, naturally do best when the seed are planted again in the same soil type. Do not buy seed of cotton that has been perfected on sandy soil and then plant this seed on stiff clays or prairie or wet bottom lands, and vice versa. It Is better to keep the seed from thq nlanfS in A definite soil, in their own environments as nearly as possible. Buying your fine seed is hazardous the farmers should se- lect from his own field and perfect his own crops and select his own seed from the strongest and most desirable plants and year after year this should be re- peated, planting these selected seed in the same or similar soils where the plants grew. This is what we commonly call adaptability work
 Seed Corn.
 Begin to make your barn selection of your seed corn, it now being too late to make field selections. In shucking your corn, put aside every perfect ear for planting, reselectng again at planting time. In case you buy your seed corn, buy in the ear if you can get 1t.
 Seed Oats.
 Much could De said dDOut oats ana the development of this crop, but at present we will only suggest that our farmers, if they have not already sown, begin at once, from this point and south of here, and continue to plant through December. January and February, the sooner the better. Secure home raised red rust proof oats for seed if you can possibly get them, or in case these cannot be had, use the Appler oats. The western or Texas seed are good but we prefer the home raised.
 Alfalfa.
 Be sure not to purchase or use alfalfa seed that has the Nodder or loye-vine in it. Perhaps there is no more important crop than that of alfalfa. It has passed the experimental stage and If sown on strong lands, especially our prairies, there is big money in it. Remember always to prepare these lands most thoroughly be- fore planting, and select well drained soils, as wet, sour lands will not make alfalfa.