St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-08-06
TO SELECT SEED
Prof. 5. A. Knapp OF the
U. 5. Department OF
Agricture Tells Us
How to DO 1t.
An Interesting Lettev that
Every Farmer Should
Read and Follow
in Practice.
The improvement Of Corn
BY Seed Selection Will
Give Millions to
Louisiana.
How to Select Variety and
Choose Seed for Cot
ton to Obtain the
Early Kinds.
Reasons for Seed Selection.


For the amount of labor involved
no work upon the farm pays better
than seed selection. Within a seed
is the minute germ that has all the
characteristics of the preceding gen
erations of that species, with the
notifications which the previous cul-
ture, SOIL climate, and selection have
given it, and these it transmits to
the future plants. In addition, the
seed contains a little food to help the
germ until the plant can become es-
tablished in the soil.
While the types in seed are per-
sistent along general lines, within
their limits they admit Of great mod
ification by selection and cultivation.
IN cotton the size of the boil, the
length and quality of lint, the time
of maturity, the tendency to abun-
dant fruitage, the height and form
of stalks, and other plant character
istics may be modified at the will of
the farmer.
When farmer buys high-grade
seed at large price, he is simply
paying another man for using his
brain to do what he can do just as
well if he will.
Improvement of Cotton by Seed Sc
lection.
Careless cotton farming and gin
run seed are responsible for lot of
short cotton crops. There is but lit
tie pure-bred seed planted, and the
product of that little generally be-
comes more or less mixed in the field
and at the gin.
Five points should be carefully
noted in cotton-seed improvement:
type, variety, selection, ginning, and
storing. A farmer should determine
the type of cotton he wants to pro-
duce. He can in the end produce
what he wants if he studies and
works for it. By type is meant
the kinds of stalks, boil, lint, etc.
The type generally preferred is a
short, vigorous stalk, with plenty Of
fruit limbs on the lower half; fruit
limbs short jointed but exte Ning to
the outer border of the Ezaht and
fruiting to the end; large bolls,
storm resisting; heavy percentage
of lint; staple, if large-boll cotton
at least l Is inches and strong; plant
hardy, early, and prolific.
Choosing the Variety.
Plant seed of a variety that pro-
duces cotton as near the type you
want as possible It will not be ex-
actly your ideal, but If good seed and
Of the right variety it will come near
it. Plant this seed on q separate
tract of land, or plat, so it will not
become mixed by insects. Every
farmer needs seed plat just as
much as he needs a well-bred male
if he is going to improve his stock
Thin and cultivate this plat in the
best way.
Selecting the Seed.
Let us go personally to the seed
plat in the fall with a sack over our
shoulder and make selections. Here
is an ideal stalk about three feet
tall, loaded with choice bolls. There
will be more than pound of lint cot
ton on it at maturity. Around the
heart of the plant we select the best
bolls, rejecting the bolls on the ends
Of the limbs and near the top and a
few that are SO low as nearly to
touch the ground The top and END
bolls tend to later maturity and the
seeds in the bolis too near the ground
absorb the moisture and are not as
vigorous as they should be.
The next stalk is not quite so per
feet, but it is pretty good, and We
take a few of the best bo!ls. On the
next stalk are four or five great fine
bolls. My man was along with a
sa k and he was just about to pick
them. in fact, his fingers had closes
over one. Let them alone" ] called
out. Look at that stalk; it never
thought about going into the cotton
business until it was half grown
There is only about an eighth of &
pound of cotton on it if all the bolls
mature. That plant has had some
bad blood in it or is black sheep il
good flock. We Go not want tc
raise that kind
Then we passed several plants not
very good and not very poor. just
a few feet along the row / noticed
two remarkably fine bolls near the
top Of stalk. Something called my
attention away, and when | looked
back my man had them. .'Ain't they
fne?" he remarked, and ne gave e
smile Of satisfaction. Right" l re
piled, If you do not look at tbs
plant They grow too near the toI
and will tend to make cur crop late.
If you are going to be so particular
we shan't get much cotton seed" he
answered, rather shortly. Bob,