The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-02-11
LOOKING AHEAD.
J. F.. Morse in Michigan Farmer.

r.. Morse in Michigan Farmer.
or all the seasons Of the year, just
now the general truck grower finds
himself more nearly between hay
and grass than at any ether time.
Nothing TO SOW and nothing to grow
or gather into his garner gives n
a sort OF lonesome feeling. II, how
ever. the past season was sufficiently
successful to give a winter surplus
for market the case is not so bad.
good vegetables we'll handled need not
20 begging. and the prices are amply
high, for the consumer at least. Ana
now that there is sort of a lull in
the general rush it is good policy to be
hooking ahead to see what of the fu-
ture.
The seed catalogues are in evidence
now. and most Of them are free for
the asking. Now, as 1t is hardly
fair to gather them in out or idle
curiosity, yet they are always freely
Given to the prospective buyer n
many OF them would be we'll worth
buying for the large fund OF infor-
nation contained in them. A postal
request will bring almost any OF them
without further cost; and it is none
To early now to find out what we re-
= ~x rannnnfS Gny1nU ana
also what We lack. Many serious loss
es To next seasons crops may be avoid
ed by the simple expedient of secur-
ing our seed supply in ample time
10 tbroughly test the seed before the
planting season. SO often is this I'M
portant point neglected and ere long
We find ourselves with a seed bed
spou which no end of labor has been
bestowed. "salivated" with a worth
lssss lot of seed. Well, it Is a case
of locking the stable after the horse
is stolen, and the fault is easily trace
able to our own door, BY this, 1t is
aot to be inferred that all seed which
fail TO terminate satisfactorily and
make a good stand of plant is poor.
Tor the fault often lies in the prepar-
alton of the bed and the slipshod man
ner of planting. But the losses in so
far as the seed is responsible, may
all be minimized, or entirely elimin-
ated. by the simple expedient of prop
sry testing.
Home Grown Seed.
For those who have neglected this
important work 1t Is too late to save
the day for next seasons planting.
but not too late to resolve that in the
future the homegrown stock OF seeds
shall receive our most painstaking eff
forts. l mention it thus early to stir
up the puft minds by way of remem-
berance along these important lines.
know of no reason why every gard
en- for that matter, should not be an
experimental ground, and every gard
mel and farmer to a great extent, at
least. his own seed producer. One
thing Is certain, IL we know nj W
soil conditions as we ought to know
them, and our market demands, We
ought to be the best judges OF the
varieties that will most nearly meet
those conditions and demands. For
my own trade, which has almost in
varibly been private, ! have found
certain special varieties more profit
able than those in more general cult.
vation. For instance. with tomatoes,
eur general market demand is almost
exelGsively for the crimson or purple
varieties, while for my trade I have
found nothing better than Success and
Honor Bright, which are among the
very reddest OF red varieties; these
for the medium or late sorts while
fur . frst early I think It will be
hng before the June Pink will be
superseded by q better one. These
have proved eminently ~succeosful with
me, while other growers with different
ssfl and unlike trade demand, are
sure that they could not use t,em
- An. Thus. circumstances must
largely enter Into, and 10 q great
eseent shape. our plan ~ ae1son, AZ.
this of itself Is suABcsest rssson WY