80 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



rude lioes they kept down the weeds. Their culture was 

 clean, but involved watcliful labor. How much advanced 

 are many of our districts from this Indian method? The 

 same description might well apply to some of the methods in 

 vogue by some of you who are listening to ray voice. The 

 ear is selected for seed : the Indian did the same. The hills 

 were prepared by clearing off rubbish, exposing the soil, and 

 breaking the ground, by civilized man as well as by the Indian ; 

 the only difference being in that of implements, wherein we 

 have an advantage. The seed is dropped and covered by 

 the white and red man alike. Both use the hoe, or its equiv- 

 alent, — the Indian woman, her moose scapula or crooked 

 stick ; the white man, the steel hoe. The Indian was con- 

 tent with his crop ; the white farmer is content with his crop. 

 We find no hint that the white man's crop, as raised by the 

 settlers, exceeded that of the Indian near by who taught the 

 European emigrant his methods. 



Yet some farmers now raise each year large yields of corn 

 in the very neighborhood in which other farmers raise but 

 small crops. Although the average crops vary greatly in our 

 different States, — as, in 1878, thirty-six bushels per acre for 

 Massachusetts, and nine bushels and three-tenths for South 

 Carolina, — yet there is but little variation between the yields 

 gained by the best farmers in these two localities, the maxi- 

 mum reported crops being surprisingly alike. These facts 

 mean something, and all investigation shows this : namely, 

 that care and attention, intelligent action, give the large 

 crop ; routine, barbarian action, results in the small crop. 

 Civilization commences with care in the seed used, which 

 barbarism and civilization alike may cultivate alike. 



SEED. 



To the seed, then, must we look first, in order to secure 

 improvement, in order to gain the maximum crop at the 

 least expense. It is not enough to select the ear : this 

 process has done something ; but alone tliis is not suflicicnt, 

 as our comparisons between ancient and modern results 

 show. We must pay attention to the past history of our 

 seed ; we must breed our corn ; we must secure prolific 

 anccstr}'-, and use the seeds from fecund parents. 



jNIy attention was foreibl}- called to the importance of the 



