PLANT-BREEDING FOR FARMERS 



It is the writer's object in this bulletin to discuss those methods of 

 plant-breeding that are simple and suitable for the general use of farmers. 

 The rapidly accumulating evidence points every day more and more 

 strongly to the great practical importance of this subject. The experi- 

 menter may study and elucidate the methods of breeding and demon- 

 strate what can be accomplished ; the specialist may breed many new 

 types of value, but what is required to produce the greatest good is the 

 adoption of the methods of selection in the farm practice pursued by the 

 farmers generally. In the newspapers, the agricultural press and ex- 

 periment station bulletins we see considerable discussion of plant-breed- 

 ing, some of it unfortunately of rather sensational nature and possibly of 

 questionable value. \\'e might form the idea from this, that every- 

 thing possible is being done and that there is no chance for a farmer to 

 accomplish anything of value. Thi'^ would be a mistaken idea. The 

 workers in this field at the present time are just skimming the surface, 

 jumping from knoll to knoll on the mountain tops, while the fertile 

 valleys remain yet unexplored. Instead of a few specialists and scientific 

 men working here and there, the farmers the country over, should be 

 informed on the subject of breeding and introduce into their general farm 

 methods, systematic breeding in the production of their planting seed. 

 The evidence strongly indicates that to obtain the best yields of any croj) 

 the variety used should be adapted to the existing conditions. Adjoin- 

 ing farms frequently dififer markedly from each other in soil conditions 

 and a variety best suited to one may not be satisfactory on the other. 

 Variety-testing is thus an important part of the farm work and should 

 be followed by a careful selection of the seed in order to secure a high 

 yielding strain of the variety which will be suited to the local conditions. 

 For many years farmers have given careful attention to the methods 

 of seeding, cultivation, manuring, and the like, but have generally neg- 

 lected to give any careful attention to the methods of seed selection or 

 breeding. They have universally recognized the importance of stock- 

 breeding and on all dairy and stock farms more or less careful attention 

 has been given to the matter of breeding and improvement of the strain 

 grown. To every farmer the field of breeding, whether in plants or 

 animals, furnishes an interesting and profitable diversion. Plant-breed- 

 ing especially should become a farmer's fad. Few can afford to breed 

 animals in the extensive way necessary to secure important results, 

 owing to the expense. Xo farmer, however, is so poor but that he can 

 have his breeding patch of corn, wheat or potatoes. Indeed, if they but 

 knew it, they can ill afford not to have such a breeding patch to furnish 

 seed for their own planting. 



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