The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1912-06-05
ATTENTION TO
SEED IS URGED
GREATER YIELD N CROPS AND A
CORRESPONDING GAIN IN IN.
COME rO FARMERS RESULT or
MORE CARE

PORTLAND. June THE farm
ers OF Oregon must pay more atten
ton to the selection OF seed u the,
would expect nne crops. declared y
c. Msris. well known agricultural e>.
pert
1t Is as important to select good
seed for successful crops as TO special.
lie In the breeding OF stock for the
producing o: animals /" said Mr.. .Maris,
VINO as special representative OF the
agricultural college has been thor
oughly investigating crop and soil
conditions throughout Oregon.
Many farmers have adopted i'm.
proved methods Of preparing tho soil.
but few have paid any attention to
seed selection and Improvement. The
best methods are generally adopted
In caring for and handling the crop.
and the most approved machinery
used In harvesting and threshins. but
little OF no attention has been paid to
the fundamental principles OF select
Ing and breeding up seed for increas-
Ing the quantity and quality OF the
crop. Much has been done In the I'm
provement Of our livestock. but little
In the way OF improving our farm
crops.
What has been done In the way OF
1 yyn N rnvi01 our atRor.os hr~o.s. - H.
nestle animals Is u matter OF history.
and reads like romance. The beef
steer OF few generations ago that re-
ouired four or nve years growth to
reach the market at 1000 pounds,
now tips the beam at loo or 1900
at half that age. The hog OF our
fathers that spent u year growing n
upon which to store a few
pounds Of fat during a three months
process OF fattening. now grows into
n finished product In six to nine
The dairy COW that once was high
ly respected for producing a pound OF
butter a day must now make two or
three times that much to admit her
10 aristocrstic dairy circles. Four or
i've pounds was not many years ago
n fair average fleece for
fock OF range sheep In this state
Now they are expected to clip twice
that amount.
How has all this come about7 BY
mere chance! No. Il has been done
by breeding up. by selection. largely. !
together with improved environment.
Through this work Of improving the
different breeds OF live stock many !
men have immortaiifed their names
and added millions to the material
wealth Of the country. What these
men have done In the animal world |
Luther Burbank. the wizard OF horti-
culture. has been doing In the vexet-
able kingdom. or course. we have
esser lights In this work. but nothing
Ike so many as engaged In the I'm
'rovement Of live stock. and Burbank 4
'tands out alone az star OF the first
He who makes two blades Of grass
'r two pounds Of meat or two pounds
II wool grow whore only one grew be-
ore is a philanthropist. and there 10
Dom for a lot Of philanthropists In
his country. You may not be Luth-
n Burbank. but there II ample op
for lot OF you to be little
3urbanks.'
while livestock improvement has
'een making rapid strides. little has
'een done to improve our cereals snd
he average yield of our country has
eclined rather than increased. Not
this fact the improve
,ent Of our grain crops by selection
nd breeding is Just as fertile q field
Z endeavor as that Of livestock--Juss
. interesting and more easy Of &C ,sss
Or everyone. Many cannot afford to
o much experimenting In the breed
,g OF livestock on account of the ex-
ense, but no farmer 10 30 poor that
Q cannot afford to maintain . breed-
,g plat for the Improvement Of bis
sed grain. In fact. he cannot afford
OF to do 30. Every branch Of physi-
Il ndeavor-whether commercial.
lechanical. agricultural. or what not
~ It's leaders-those who do the
linking and planning for the better.