FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 447 



spring. All the force of vegetation is thrown into one bud set in the fall be- 

 fore. These abrupt changes may tend to make the tree tender. 



Some peaches like the Barnard, Early Crawford and Hill's Chili, wlien grown, 

 by themselves are inclined to reproduce tliemselves. Let these peaches and oth- 

 ers be repeatedly raised from the seed and those nearest like tlie parents select- 

 ed for seed. After some generations of peaches we shall be able to raise each 

 variety from seeds as surely as we now raise our varieties of wheat, corn, rad- 

 ishes, cabbages and squashes. To such permanent varieties we give tiie name 

 of race to distin2:uish them from varieties whicli will not come true from the 

 seed. Perhaps our earliest bearing pears might soon be brought into condition 

 to reproduce themselves from seeds, and after a few generations regain 

 strength to withstand the blight. At any rate, this is worth trying, and the 

 experiment witii peaches and pears has already begun at the Agricultural 

 College. 



VALUE OF GOOD SEED. 



Peter Henderson speaks of offering an old man $50 per pound for some 

 seeds of a certain kind of cabbage, but could not procure an ounce. The man 

 kept his good seed, got ahead nearly ten days with his early cabbages, and 

 made a little fortune by the oi)eration. On another occasion one pound of seed 

 purchased as Silesian lettuce, proved to be the curled India, and worthless for 

 forcing. This was the most serious loss from bad seeds I ever encountered, 

 amounting to at least $1,000. 



Dr. Sturtevant in a recent number of the Scientific Farmer says that he had 

 two varieties of seed corn, which presented an almost identical appearance of 

 grain and ear. Yet planted on the same field in adjoining plats, the one 

 yielded 55 bushels, the other 110 bushels of shelled corn per acre on the same 

 manuring; and an unmanured strip alongside, planted with the better seed, 

 furnished at the rate of 68 bushels of crop per acre. Gardeners pay great 

 attention to the selection of their seeds. The farmer is apt to consider the 

 seed used as of less account, and to ascribe differences in crops to the amount of 

 manure used. "Manure and good seed, good seed and manure, neither with- 

 out the other, and there will be a most cheering increase in the crop." 



LOOK FOR SPORTS. 



Those who have not seen it would be surpris3d at the care with which a florist 

 or a nurseryman watches his plants. At different times during the year, he 

 passes through and througii long rows of plants, looking for sports or some- 

 thing new. He well knows that a good novelty will bring money to his pocket. 

 The least difference does not escape his notice. These sports are watched, 

 cared for, propagated and further tested. How many of our farmers are care- 

 fully watching tiieir fields of wheat, corn, oats, for something new and better? 

 They may learn a lesson from the gardener. Here certainly is a chance for 

 good observers, and who dare say tliat even the farmer would not be benefited 

 by a training in botany? Althougii agriculture is not my department, I have 

 for two or three years past been much interested in looking through fields of 

 ripe wheat to pick up all the varieties I could find, or any specimens of extra 

 size. 



CHANGING SEED. 



The notion has long been quite prevalent among farmers that there is an ad- 

 vantage in changing seeds from one kind of a soil or from one part of a country to 



