SEED SELECTION AND PLANTING 153 



were planting peas for a canning factory, and 

 planted ununif onn pea seed, it would mean that at 

 harvest time you would have all stages of growth 

 from the blossom to the over matured pods, which 

 would result in great loss. And this would he 

 true with many crops. 



Uniformity is not an easy thing to obtain, and 

 so this fact is the cause of so much seed of this 

 character, and of so many dishonest seedsmen. 

 Seedsmen resort to what is known as the " blend*' 

 practice, which is the mixing together of crops of 

 seeds grown by their different growers. Seeds 

 produced by different growers in different local- 

 ities upon the different varieties of clay, prairies 

 and light soils, of different degrees of fertility, 

 affected by different growing conditions, harv- 

 ested at different stages of maturity, and under 

 varied treatments as to sowing, harvesting, cur- 

 ing, etc., affects vitality, germination, and pro- 

 duce the ununiform seed. 



This is one of the main reasons why the au- 

 thor has always advocated that the farmer should 

 always grow or produce his own seed wherever 

 it is possible to do so. But some seeds he 

 can not grow if he would, and so in the pur- 

 chase of these he is at the mercy of the seedsmen, 

 unless he becomes an expert in the judging of 

 seeds, and why should he not make himself an ex- 

 pert? He must do it if he wishes to make a suc- 

 cess of the business of farming. There is much in 

 the old axiom "If you want a thing done right do 

 it yourself. ' ' Follow this advice as much as possi- 

 ble and your success in the business of fanning is 

 assured. 



