The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-01-07
SHOULD HAVE $1,000.

The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader
snakes the following comment on the
state legislature appropriating $1,000
Tor the benefit Of the state corn
show. and which suggestion was
thrown out by The Republican the
week before the cor show met at
Sioux Falls:
The South Dakota Corn Growers
and Breeders association, just COM
paettng its second annual exhibition
In South Dakota. has asked the legis-
lature to appropriate $1,000 a year
for the 8 of the association in
building up q sentiment for better
iced in South Dakota, says the Ar
Gus-Leader. The request should not
be made twice. If we have in the
state men who are public spirited
enough to work for the welfare of
every farmer In the state, the tax
payers Of the state are certainly do
Ing little enough when they put a
small annual sum back of them to
pay the necessary expenses Of the
endeavor.
The only people who know how
much has been accomplished in the
campaign for better seed in South
Dakota are those who have taken
the pains to follow the movement.
The editor Of this newspaper is one
of them. He is not a farmer, but
he realizes that the prosperity of
South Dakota is based on the pros
perity of the farmers and that any
movement which can make two ears
of corn. OF two heads of wheat grow
where one grew before, is doing a
good work.
The principle of heredity is as fix
cd and definite in the vegetable
world as it is in the animal kingdom.
II good sires and good dams are re-
Quired for good stock. then good
seed is necessary for good crops. The
principle is so firmly fixed that those
who doubt, merely show their ig-
norance. The corn exhibit this year
far surpasses that of last year for
the reason that the planters have
learned the lesson of seed selection,
and are applying it to their crop
operations with results of bigger
and better crops. Strong, vital, we'll
selected and properly acclimated
seed Is important to big yields. One
farmer may have a poor crop, and
another farmer. with land adjoining
may double him In crops. and thus
in profits. The difference is in the
sires and dams of the vegetable
world. The farmers institutes and
the corn growers meetings. and all
the study Of these questions are fix
ing in the minds Of the tillers of the
soil the Importance Of this principle,
and the increasing yields per acre
prove the value Of the movement.
In Iowa. the trip taken by Prof.
Holden Of Ames college. through that
state, was afterwards traced by the
bigger crops of corn. The planter
learned the lesson and made money
by It. The farmer who refuses to
study into these problems is always
the man who kicks about the poor
crops. The man who has once been
interested follows It up because he
knows that It pays.
II South Dakota can maintain a
telephone inspector" who does moth
ing but draw his salary, or an hotel
inspector" who merely collects his
fees It certainly should have spare
funds enough to spend an ezra $1,000
20 promulgate the doctrine Of pure
seed in an agricultural state like
this. No doubt Governor Vessey will
in his annual message recommend
sthis appropriation. and it ought to
pass the legislature. The Importance
Of the matter not only to the farm
ers but to the business men, cannot
easily be exaggerated.