Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29
Plant Breeding Wonders Teach
Farmers of South Importance
OF Care in the Selection of Seed
Scientists of Georgia Among Modern Wizards Who Are Red
recng Plant Life Into Interesting and More Profitable Pro
cesses-Many Yields Are Doubled
By CHARLES A. WHITTLE.
Georgia State College of Agriculture.

I Yields by planting seed obtained from
| "a field Of heavy yielding grain. The
| explanation is that the seed taken
from the field were hybrids What he
actually gets from hybrid seed in the
way of variety of corn, is doubt
less surprising 10 him.
Farmer Can Grow Pure Seed.
Il is any easy matter for a farmer
TO grow his own seed. and thus be
sure that he is not getting a weak
hybrid Having obtained what can
be reasonably expected to be a pure
strain. he should pursue the PLAINTIFF
row method-that IS. plant each row
IN his seed plat from grain obtained
from a single ear or head.
Before planting he should be sure
that he is putting into the ground
seeds that are vigorous He can de-
termine this by conducting germinat-
ing tests. Taking grains from a Sc
lected ear, he can plant these in a
sand box, apply moisture and observe
how many Of the seed planted germi-
nate. II nearly 100 per cent OF the
grains terminate, the ear is not dis
carded. only those showln~ the best
termination should be reserved to
ers go further and investigate the
rootlets that first develop and dis
card even good terminating ears that
do not also show good root develop
ment.
Having ascertalned which are the
good ears. the next step OF the seed
breeder Is to plant each ear to a row
so as to keep check on the history
and accomplishment OF each ear All
this can be done with little trouble by
the farmer. Breeders favor detassel-
ing every other stalk Of corn in
breeding plat before It has pollenized
itself
other Plant as Fertilizer.
This leaves the stalk to be fertilizeG
by another plant, which is considered
TO make for a stronger breed than
when self-fertllized. When the gath
ering time comes only those ears
which have grown on the detasseled
stalks ere taekn for seed TO be used
In planting the seed plat the next
year. The ears from such stalks
which are not reserved for future
seed plats, together with those from
the stalks not detasseled can be
planted in the field This. Of course
applies to corn, and no such close
manipulation can he worked with
other grains but the same general
principles apply. The main point Is
to take care that the selected strains
OF corn, wheat, oats or whatever else
are kept put and free from the in
vasion OF royers and that the strain
Is kept as strong as possible by seed
selection, which includes the germi-
nation test.
An interesting development In corn
preceding which has been pursued by
Professor =. o. Vanattar, Of the
Georgia state College OF Agriculture,
Is that which has to DO with suck
ers' or stools" on corn. Instead OF
discarding corn with Smokers" ne has
developed and watched II. His CON
clusions are that corn that suckers
Is the corn that terminates strong
est produces the biggest yield, has
the best slower. stands strongest
against winds; In fact 10 the best
corn. Breeders generally have over
looked this fact
Farmer Benefits From Science.
These and other Important contrl-
buttons are being constantly made to
the aggregate Of knowledge OF how to
enlarge the yields OF not only corn,
but other crops. 1t is part which
the scientists and experimenter can
do for the benefit OF the farmer Civ
ing the farmer the fruits OF his study
in the shape OF increased harvests.
NO field OF agricultural work Is
fraught with more fascination and
wonder than this OF plant breeding.
and. without doubt. some marvellous
discoveries viii be made In the next
few years which will not only set
ootanists agog, but will rejoice a
Vg hFalaa ovid
nave been made whereby two stalks
can be grown where one has hereto
fore been grown.
The history Of plant DEVELOPMENT
reads like romance, but back of II. OF
course, was long years OF careful toll
that was unromantiC enough As
many as 100 years ago plants that
were extra well developed were taken
from the field and propagated care -
fully and were gradually developed
into varieties which became broadly
adopted instead Of old varieties. be-
cause or their greater yielding power
Reverted to Old Types.
While occasionally something was
accomplished by such methods in AFT o.
er years, in the main there was dis
appointment, for the reason that the
exceptional plants were hybrids and
soon reverted to original types
In Germany and Sweden the IN o.
vestigators began on the Darwinlan
basis and tried TO improve by select
ing a number OF best plants. sowing
them together and attempting to ad-
vance the whole, II was known as
mass selection. Finally DR. Hjalmar
Nilsson. Of Sweden, fell upon the sin
gle plant or ear-to-row as the basis
for establishing pure breeds and
maintaining the purity. Since then
the ear or the single head has been
the basis OF all successful breeding
one Of the points emphasized in the
boys corn club work IS seed selection
What has been learned from these
various seed breeding experiments
the world over the Government ami