CHAPTER IV. 



Seed and Seed Selection 



NO SUCCESS WITHOUT GOOD SEED 



It is a time-worn but no less true saying that good 

 seed is essential to good agriculture. No matter how 

 well the farmer prepares his land, no matter how much 

 time, labor and money he spends on it, if much or all of 

 his seed fails to grow, he will either have a poor crop or 

 be obliged to reseed, thus losing time and labor. Many 

 causes may contribute to prevent a good stand, but if 

 he can eliminate any one of these, he is by so much the 

 gainer. Poor seed is a primary and great cause of a poor 

 stand. 



The farmer obtains his seed from one of two sources ; 

 he raises it or buys it. If the former, there should be 

 less danger, as the chief source of poor seed is careless 

 handling in harvesting and storing. If the seed becomes 

 damp, mold will damage much of it, or it will sprout, 

 then dry out, and the germ be killed. If seed is bought 

 of strangers or from a distance, the chances of poor qual- 

 ity increase many fold. If all seed were bought of 

 reliable dealers, there would be less cause for complaint, 

 but farmers too often buy where they can buy cheapest. 

 They pay for trash that is either full of harmful weed 

 seeds or has a liberal admixture of old and dead seeds 

 left over from previous seasons. 



