SAVING SEED.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 456, 6 September 1879, Page 2

SAVING SEED.

Mr WifjLl.vm Saunokrs says to the Elmira Fanners Club:—“ When a plant is grown in hj climate favonrahle to its perfect development, it is possible to improve it as far as nature will permit by simply saving only the best seed. Possibly the time may come when plants will be cultivated for seed saving, distinct from the ordinary products. Take wheat, tor instance, as ordinarily cultivated, there, is a wide difference between the strength of the plants and the grains they produce. By selecting only the heaviest grains the characteristics of tho variety can be kept up, if not improved upon. Un the other hand, when tho field is sown with wheat as it comes from the thresher, the plants are of varied strength, many of them slender, ripening a slender bead of comparatively slender grains. A gradual deterioration, of the crop follows as a matter of course. The difference in individual seeds in tho ordinary run of samples is greater than might bo supposed from casual inspection. Last spring, intendin'? to mako notes on this matter, I selected from one plant cadi of corn, peas, and beans, the best twelve seeds and worst looking twelve. Tin's I weighed in the labotatory ; the best sample of peas held a relation to the worst sample as 30 to 22, the beans as 41 to 31, and the corn as 41 to 28. I planted each sample by itself and the result wa« a wonderful diffcrcnco between the plants in size and vigour, so much so that I could not but feel what important results would follow if every grower would give some little attention to the kind and quality of tho seed he used. '