34 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



breeding of seed, if I may use that term, that "like pro- 

 duces hke." But the great difficulty with the animal is to 

 get two that are alike : that is what bothers the breeders, 

 and must. Of course, we know that no two things can be 

 exactly alike ; but to get them as nearly alike as possible 

 is a very difficult thing in animal breeding, and it must be 

 so in breeding seeds, to a certain extent ; and, in breeding 

 seeds with any care, another important element is proper 

 and judicious selection. Now, I have paid very little personal 

 attention to breeding seeds ; but I think I comprehend the 

 principles which the captain has given us this morning, and 

 have tried, to a certain extent, to carry them out. I made, 

 this last season, a little experiment with carrot-seed. I found 

 great difficulty in buying seed b}^ the use of which I could 

 grow carrots with uniformity. I want a carrot of a certain 

 type, — not a long carrot, but a carrot which will weigh 

 heavily, a carrot which will be nearly as large at the small 

 end as at the big end, to use a common expression. I 

 made a selection, last spring, of carrots for seed, and set out 

 those which seemed to be the type which was in my mind 

 that I would like to have throughout a field ; but I have not 

 yet carried the experiment far enough to reach results. 

 Next season I shall plant that seed, and observe the results. 

 Of course I do not understand all about the male and female 

 parts of the carrot; but I know there are probably male 

 flowers and female flowers of the same plant, and I believe 

 that the captain has given us to understand that those plants 

 must be cross-fertilized (self-fertilization I believe he does 

 not approve of) ; but this fertilization is a good deal of a 

 mystery to the common farmer, and probably will remain so 

 for some time. 



Capt. Moore. I would like to say one thing, which per- 

 haps I did not make quite clear, which Mr. Hadwen brings 

 to my mind ; that is, it is perfectly apparent to any one who 

 has watched carefully the breeding of corn, that the same 

 stalk of corn does not like to fertilize itself. That has been 

 apparent to me for a great while, and I think there cannot 

 be a farmer in this room who has not noticed it and in this 

 way. Perhaps he has a field of potatoes, with no corn any- 

 where near it : a stalk of corn comes up in that field, as we 

 have seen a great many times, grows vigorously, and he thinks 



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