THE PLANT 



Plants that thrive in a certain soil or climate sometimes lose 

 desirable qualities under different conditions. Certain varieties 

 of tobacco are grown in the United States from Cuban seed. If 

 home-grown seed be used even one 

 year, the flavor and texture of the 

 leaf are changed. It is sometimes 

 desirable to buy seed in order to in- 

 fluence the ripening season of a crop. 

 In a warm climate seed from the 

 north mature earlier than home- 

 grown seed of the same variety. 

 Some Texas farmers buy cotton seed 

 from North Carolina in order to 

 have their crop ripen early before 

 the Mexican boll weevil becomes 

 most injurious. 



Losses by Impure Seeds. In pur- 

 chasing seeds it is always economical 

 to get high-grade, well-cleaned ones 

 from a reliable dealer. Suppose a 

 farmer buys at less cost an inferior 

 grade. Sometimes half or more of 



SUch Seed Consists Of impurities. The tube on the left shows one pound 

 The farmer's loSS is threefold. He of Kentucky blue grass seed, as bought; 

 1 ,1 I'll -I the middle tube shows the amount of 



loses the money which he paid out. dirtiWeedseedSiandbroke n seeds; the 

 He loses the time, labor, and money tube on the right ^hows the good seed, 

 spent in cultivating his field. He loses the profit which he might 

 have gained. Moreover, he may have brought in weed pests. 



Home-grown Seed. As a rule, it is to the farmer's interest 

 to grow his own seeds. He is thus saved much unnecessary ex- 

 pense. He knows the kind, quality, and age of his seed. He 



