GRAIN FOR FEED. {Leader).

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1388, 26 May 1881, Page 3

GRAIN FOR FEED. {Leader).

Thk careful agriculturist, who regards the selection of his seed for next season's crop as a matter of by no means secondary importance, will find the present an opportune tune for giving the subject his attention. During the harvest period facilities arc presented lor obtaining information as to the appearance of grain in the field, while valuable hints are also procurable in connection with the results of the threshing machines. There will be again this season n, considerable quantity of grain, especially among the wheat, of indifferent quality, and here the " &hri\ ellcd wheat for seed " question will once more present itself. It is considered more economic il to send the heauest grain to market, as it commands the best puce, and therefore the temptation is olFered to retain the small and shrivelled bern s for seed purposes. In this way it has arisen that many have urged the lefention of the heaviest and bf-t filled giains for heed, submitting that, if soed of inferior quality is used, a profitable return cannot be expected. The question, however, hinges upon the point ao to whether heed can bo described an inferior simply because of the srnallness and shrivelled character of the giain. It i* argued by tho--e who advocate the retaiuing of the plumpest and best-filled berries for seed purposes that no fanner would expect a yupeiior foal or calf from weedy, half-.st.irved parents, and that, therefore the same piinciples tlia 4 " are acknowledged in the animal kingdom should hold good iv the vegetable. Here, however, we perceive an impoitant distinction that bearb in favour of the position held by a laige number of piactical correspondents to our columns, who simply state that they have often obtained their heavie-t ciopsfrom fields sown from shrivelled -eed. Wewouldpointoutthatthe analogy sought to be established between " weedy animals and " -hiivelled " seed is defective, in ie*pect to the fact that an animal's piogeny is not determined by the " condition" of its parents, but by theii breeding. An ill-bied cow will produce an inferior calf, no matter how ■wellconditioned she may be ; while a wellbred animal, although in poor condition, will produce stock of good quality. On the same piineiple it may be leasoned that a bad-yielding quality of grain will not pioduce a heavy crop even from plump and well-filled seed, while the seed of a heavy-yielding 1 quality of grain will produce satisfactory harvest results, even although it was at the time of sowing, in resppot to condition, of the Kind known as shrivelled. Upon this point, in our opinion, mu^-t wo depend for an explanation of tho unanswerable logic of facts, in favor of lining him veiled wheat for seed, contiibuted by the many cone^pondents to The Let/do; who have assmed us that their pos tion is suppoited by the test of practical experiments. There is undoubtedly borne benefit to be obtained in vegetation by the adoption of the leading principles iPoogni^ed in the breeding of animals, and that this is recognised in practice is shown by the desiie of many agiiculturists to obtain as often as possible a change of seed. In their procedure, however, there is seldom any very definite rule, and we would point out that a ohange of need may be useless, or wor>-e, if it be not a proper change. Amonght fixed results demonstrated by experiment it has been found that a change of seed should be obtained from a colder di^tiicc to a warmer, and not from a warmer to a colder ; also, from a poorer soil to a richer, and not from a richer to a poorer. Further, that such diseases as red rust may be developed from seed, and that tho vauition in coieals which n c ature presents to us are hereditary, and proceed upon a fixed principle. Fiom this principle a well known experimenter in seed-grow-ing, Major Hallet, has educed— first^ tli it every fally-developed plant, whether of whe.it, oats or barley, presents an ear superior in productive power to any ot the rest on that plant ; second, that every such plant contains one grain which, upon trial, proves more productvie.than any other; third, that the best xrain in a given plant is found in the best ear ; fourth, that the superior (juality of this grain is transmissible to its progency ; fifth, that by repeated selection' this superiority is accumulated ; sixth, that the improvement, which is at first rapid, after a series of years reaches a maximum standard ; and seventh, that by still continuing the system of selection the improvement is maintained. These results, however, we do not cite so much at this time to draw attentien to what may.be done by individual farmers in the way ' of propagating special varieties of grain, as to emphasise the necessity for obtaining a good change of seed, and to indicate the leading principles that should be attached as a guide to this end. It wiil be observed that there is nothing in the results of Major Halletts experiments that clashes ■with the position held by the advocates of shrir§U64 seed. Given that a certain grain^istknown to be heavy yielding and diseas^-rfcißirttiDg in its characfer, it seems prettyflftffflß'tp conclude that the lighter kernels may be' uaed for seed purposes, thus admitting of the plumper and more well-conditioned samples being profitably disposed 6^ in the general market. Defining* good- beed therefore by the rules tbatiwehave outlined/ due regaid also being paid to the requirements of a Rood chang»,-together»"with "the "necessity " fo • perfect screening, the present ja an opportune"Bek < son ( 'to make' a 'selection for tjie next;crDpj.' ' ' ' ' _ " '' '

Thb wardsuan of the Wakatip Jff.oa- , pital died JjfLsfe"w*&k'ffd&&¥oVerd6se of prussic acid.