The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-05-23

lDenl as an lrrlgalcu crop edch year.
One reason for this is its two-fold val
l,c. AS with alfalfa and other legumes.
the growing of field peas is doubly
profitable--frst, the market value of
the crop, and. second. its ability to fer
ti!ize the soil. says a late Wyoming
bulletin Besides giving a large yield
OF forage and Ieas, this crop enriches
the soil through its peculiar power of
barborsng she bacteria that gather nj
tfogen frofa the air. This nitrogen is
afterwards supplied to the soil in the
form Of humus by the decaying roots
ard other lArts of the plant left ON the
ground As the field pea Is an annual
plant, the nitrogen that is gathered in
its roots is sooner made available for
the use OF ether plants than that gath
cred by the perennial alfalfa. Nitrogen
is the plant food element in which most
Western soils are lacking. Hence field
peas make very desirable crop for
one-year rotation. to improve land for
the grains and other non-leguminous
plants.
AS pasture fol- sheep and hogs, field
peas are being used more and more
The fatteniEg qualities are good. The
lambs fattened upon this crop at the
experiment station i'm 1905 brought the
"top of the market" While field peas
are usually pastured. they are often
harvested for winter stock feed or for
seed, either ty a mover or a pea puller.
Selecting Seed for Improvement.
In the Improvement of corn by seed
selection an ent.eayor should be made
70 start with the best variety. as ascer-
tanned by actual tests in the field
through sufficient number of years to
eliminate weather conditions. 1t must
be borne in mird that in all plant inn
provement the same principles and
practices that hive been employed with
such striking results la the improve
meut OF the different breeds OF animals
must be followed.
Fox corn there are three general
methods Of Improvement: First, by
importation Of seed from some repu-
table breedGr or grower: second. by the
careful selection of seed corn from ones
own field o. from neighbours: third,
by careful selection and growing of
seed corn il field isolated something
like 400 or 500 yards from any other
corr field.
The characters that should be taken
into account I'm the Improvement OF
Germ by selection are:
1. Selection OF ears from stalk bear
ing two or more ears, as 1t has been
demonstrated time and again that va
riety that bears two medium-sized ears
PER stalk will generally give higher
yields of shelled corn per acre than
variety bearing one large ear to the
stalk.
,. The stalk should be large at the
base and taoering gradually toward the
tassel, for two reasons: First, be-
cause it will be better enabled to with
stand drought. and, second, because it
will stand up better in windstorms.
5. The ears should by all means be Of
q cylindrical form, with both butts and
tips filed cut. as this is the form that
gives the highest percentage of yield
of shelled corn per acre, other things
being equal.
4. The best shaped kernel is a medi-
UNI wedge, as this fills out the space on
the cob most completely. Also. the dis
lance between the rows OF grains should
be small, while the number OF rows
should be large and run parallel the
full length of the cob. with little or no
diminution in size. either at the butts
or tips. The percentage of grains
should be from so to 90, and should be
held rigidly by the cob II should also
possess high go to % per cent? ger
minating power and great resisting
power to disease and insect ravages.
1t should be kept clearly in mind that.
with varieties of corn, selection should
be made particularly with reference to
total yield az shelled corn and the char
acters which tend to give this and an
improved quality of grains. II it is
to be used ia feeding growing animals.
or to be ground into meal for human
consumption, it should be high in flesh
and muscle-torming material (proteln).
If for fattering stock. high i'm fat, and
ii TO manufacture whisky. alcohol or
starch. high in starch. sugar. etc Gear
bohydrates).
The salvation army is established In