ON SEEDS.
Among plants, as among animals, there are different breeds to be found, some mean, some middling, and some quite superior. The intelligent grazier, or raiser of cattle of every sort, selects the finest animals he can find for breeders of his future stock; and in this way he experiences a wonderful improvement in its value, whether the stock be of horses, neat cattle, sheep, or swine. The same precaution should be observed by the agriculturist in the selection of the seeds of different plants which he cultivates—he should constantly select his seeds from the finest breeds of plants of every kind. In some cases such selections are attended with more trouble than with others, but in all cases it is a matter of the utmost importance in the improvement of crops. Some general rules for such selections shall now be pointed out.
For Indian corn.—Search for such stalks as bear two ears, at least, and take the largest ear of each stalk for seed, rejecting the grains on both ends. Pursuing this practice will, in a few years, increase the corn crop at least one third.
Wheat, Rye, Barley, &c.—Search among the sheaves for the largest and best filled heads.—Sow the grains taken from these by themselves, and when the product is sufficient for seed, sow of this selected stock only. Repeat the selection about every six years.
Flax, Hemp, &c.—At the time of pulling the crop, select the longest stalks to be found, sow the seed of these separately, and the product will probably afford seed sufficient for the next year's sowing. Repeat this, as before mentioned.
Carrots, Beets, Turnips, &c.—Make yearly selections of the largest and most perfect roots, for bearing a supply of seed for the ensuing year.
Pumpkins, Squashes, &c.—Select such plants as bear the greatest number or the greatest quantity of pumpkins, or squashes, &c.——take the largest of the produce of each plant, and after opening them, the quality for sweetness of each can be ascertained. Select your seeds for the next year's crop, from the sweetest of the collection.
Cabbages.—Preserve the stalks for seed, which bore the largest and finest heads, or leaves, according to the sort of cabbage.
Apples, Pears, &c.—No selections from the seeds of these, will insure the same sorts of fruit as those from whence the seeds were taken. The finest of these fruits are only to be obtained by ingrafting. It is however said, that by taking the seeds only from the south sides of such apples or pears, as grow on the finest of these fruit trees, varieties of young trees will be afforded from such seeds nearly equal to those from whence the seeds were taken.
Peaches, Plums, &c.—Make your selections from such trees as bear the finest fruit, and from that growing on the south side of the trees. If you wish to make the young stock of fruit earlier than that of the parent tree, make your selections of such peaches or plums as ripen first, and these will always be found on the south side of the tree.
For preserving the germinative power of seeds, let them be mixed with a due proportion of sugar.
There is, in most cases, perhaps in all, a very essential advantage to be derived from a change of seeds, or bringing them from one part of the world to be sown in another. Sufficient attention has not, however, been paid to this matter to enable us to ascertain what changes prove most beneficial; but in making them, regard must doubtless be had that the seeds be taken from climates not too widely dissimilar. In bringing southern seeds to be sown in northerly climates, the danger is, that they will want sufficient time for ripening, and in pursuing the reverse of this, the crop may ripen so early as to be, on that account, lessened in its products.
In raising seeds of plants of which there are different species, it is essential that the seed plants be placed so far apart as to preclude any danger of the pollen of the one being carried by the winds to the other; for if an intermixture of breeds take place, a degeneracy of the plants must ensue, by mixing the valuable qualities of each. In the Brascia tribe, for instance, there is one species denominated cabbages, of many varieties, and are valuable for their heads or leaves; another species is the common turnip, of several varieties, and valuable for its bulbous root; and another is the Swedish turnip or Ruta Baga, whose principle excellence is its bulbous stalk. The effect, therefore, of an admixture of these plants, must be a diminution of the bulbs of the two latter, and an increase of foliage, while the cabbages would lessen in the heads and leaves, with a proportionate augmentation of stalk and roots.
[Plough Boy.