The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-03-18
work FOR MANKIND By By C0kER
On HIss DARLINGTON COUNTYFARA
Inisses AEheEe Tls sIA;ne Dfi The
and Oats and Corn; Written fol
4gssf teoiise .4sya7t Tsr;tt

David r. Coker of Darlington coun-
~, So &C., has increased the yield OF
his acres by carefully selecting ana
testing the seed that he sowss He has
found that plants respond as readily
as animals to breeding and that,
granted an even chance, pedigree seed
will tnvar riably produce larger crops
than seed chosen haphszard. He does
not rely uDon cuIturn mlethodss alone.
land he is convinced that, without sper
teiai training amy. farmer can do as he
has done by following a simple meth
lod OF breeding, plants for pure seed.
During the, ten years in which Mr..
Coker has been engaged in plant
breeding he has kept the educational
features OF his work to the force. He
Judges the value of the results he has
tobtained In his plant breeding work
In proportion as they improve agri-
culture In South Carolina, In season
and out Of season by lectures and
bulletins, he strives 70 impress upon
the farmers of his state the necessity
for selecting stiieir seed. stock care
fully and testing 1t thoroughly. =
ND breed 8 pedigree variety, ~ said
Mr., Goier, 81 select ind divlduaI plants
| that possess the desired qualities by
nature rather than by nurture First
u try these selscted individuals by the
/ IplenfE Et0-a-FowS method, then In sex-
detrimental plants ana in variety tests.
n prnpogate from the ssed OF the plant
that proves itself hest Ia these tests
as shofn by the valuable qualities st
exhfbsSs IN even competition with its
fellows. It takes from three to tiEe
yeays to produce o pedigree yar..SSssy. OF
deld crop by, this methci. I com
slider q consistent reccfd OF high pro-
iduction and adherence, to type In var
liety tests for three consecutive years
an absolute guarantee OF superiority
in pedigree strain OF seed. IS
Mr. ecker began Rctiye work In plant
breeding In 1902 and soon hls experf-
merits became so extensive tli 6 Alia en-
lDfoyed assiatonts. On his farm
were conducted 70 number of the cot
ton hreeding tests of Or. H. y. Webbsr.
formerly sof Cornell University then
os the paant Breeding bureau OF the
United States der rtsneFt of asricpf-
tttre now oe he elsool OF tropical bot
any % the UntyerS rs or Ca Horn "a.
Syebber OH ginated from short
staple types two eze ailent va n fes OF
long staple cot aii Co
lutslp he stat, ~ myth OF which
7 sITi5 sTpIlE 3 s5si6 inches to = 3-8 ifaSll.
es under varying ,ccnditsons os soil
and climate Etr. Gci5er hI11sele ilas
bred two Widely known varieties of
Hong eDle ectfon OF high productive
cepaeit ar tii ana
sshieh, have ia ths main beeu 81 81 ssaeE,
Is9Ty 10 planted and ansts 50 4 10 spin
Iaefs- he pisnt bfeedeF5 naeth1a.g =
ssslU 1LE. OOhEr. In explaining how no
bred his psdisfeS strains of Gotten.
corn; oets And rye, Is sitnpfy the se-
lection of q number of productive
the cstafentAae ks wsshez, sna tlle iiS4
tenstn ca ion atid n king OF tlie4e pEar-
aeters By aSxerai years or selact Ion
Color l0r NJ eight.
Ehe seeds of Aach plant sell cfefi
|afe Kept aegarale from all oEhara ana
ms pEod dnceE O tlose not sho wing ira-
|pFov ~