4 
Selection of Seed.—National Ag. Society® 
1 Perhaps the best illustration of this principle 
is afforded in the Baden and Dutton Corn, 
which having been carefully cultivated for a 
series of years, and the most prolific and per¬ 
fect ears annually selected for seed, have at last 
acquired a distinct character as most abundant 
yielders. We believe every kind of plant is 
susceptible of this improvement, and from the 
careful farmer we solicit a close observance of 
the following rules. 1 °, Whenever good seed 
is to be obtained, procure it at any reasonable 
expense— 'always get the best ; but by this, we 
do not mean the most costly, or even the fairest 
in appearance; but from such a stock as has 
been found to give large crops. And it is al¬ 
ways important to have in view the selection 
from soils inferior in quality, or at least not 
superior to that on which you purpose planting. 
2°, Whether you commence with choice or 
improved seed or not, in making selections from 
your own crops, carefully choose such portions 
of it as has produced the best and most perfect 
seed. If com, take from the stalk which has 
the greatest number of ears, and those the larg¬ 
est and best filled. Seed corn procured from a 
more Northern latitude than that in which it is 
to be planted, is always to be preferred, as 
it will ripen earlier than more Southern seed. 
If wheat, barley, or rye, select such roots as 
send out the greatest number of stalks, and 
those furnishing the longest, best filled, and 
heaviest heads. If roots take such as are large, 
solid, and nutritious; not spongy or hollow, 
or strong, or unpleasant to the taste, not made 
up of coarse, woody fibre, or watery; and with 
smooth well-shaped surface. A selection is 
again to be made from the seeds of beets, carrots, 
turnips, &c., and these should be taken from 
the branches nearest the roots, and always the 
largest, fullest seeds should be preferred. 
In selecting from pumpkins, and squashes, 
melons and other vines, always choose from per¬ 
fect fruit, as near the root as possible. Such seed 
bears much fuller with less vines, than if tafien 
nearer the ends, and ripens very much earlier. 
Another rule to be observed, so far as is 
practicable, is a change of seed as often and 
from as great distance as possible. This prac¬ 
tice added to the foregoing, has resulted in giv¬ 
ing us some of the most noted and popular 
seeds. The Rohan potatoe, the Italian and 
Siberian wheat, and others, are doubtless indebt¬ 
ed to these causes for all their popularity. 
When it is not convenient to procure seeds from 
a distance, an exchange with one’s neighbours 
or from one lot to another on the same farm, 
and especially from one kind of soil to another 
will do better than no change at all. Caution 
should always be observed not to suffer the 
flowers of such plants as are designed for seed, 
to be near enough to others of the same species 
to allow of the mixing of the pollen or farina 
of different families ; as for instance, the white 
and orange carrot; the pink eye and blue nose 
potatoe ; the early sioux and sweet corn, or any 
other, as the effect is to give a blended or mon¬ 
grel character to the products. This last prac¬ 
tice, has become, in the hands of scientific, 
close observers, a prolific source of new and 
valuable varieties. 
A constant and rigid observance of the fore¬ 
going rules, we are confident would be the 
means of largely increasing the crops of the 
country, and we cannot too earnestly enforce 
them on the attention of farmers. We shall 
resume this subject hereafter; and in the mean 
time we shall be pleased to have our friends 
communicate .to us personally or by letter, the 
result of their experience in any way connected 
with the foregoing. 
National Agricultural Society. We 
have perused with much pleasure the address 
of Hon. J. M. Garnett, President of the above 
Society, delivered in Washington, in Deer, 
last. We are glad to see this veteran in Agri¬ 
culture at the head of this society. He is a 
thoroughly practical as Avell as theoretical 
farmer, and just the man for that post. His 
address is of the true national stamp of ’76, and 
asserts most fully the true dignity and import¬ 
ance of Agriculture, and its great relative value 
in the scale of American employments. He 
fully asserts its just claims for acquirement, skill, 
and science, and the necessity of training our 
best talents for it, instead of crowding the pro¬ 
fessions with our young men. 
The great influence a National Society will 
exert in binding our union in still closer and 
more effectual bonds, is strongly urged. The 
great utility of establishing agricultural schools, 
closes this truly patriotic address. We hope 
this is but the begining of good things in Wash¬ 
ington on this subject 
We are highly g-ratified in looking over the 
importation of sheep and cattle, made by Messrs, 
Corning and Sotham, of Albany, a few days 
since, in the packet ship Hendrick Hudson, 
from London. But we regret to add that ow¬ 
ing to the severe and almost unexampled gales, 
the ship encountered, the two choicest cattle, 
the Hereford bull, ‘Major,’ and the short horn 
cow, ‘Cleopatra’, died on the passage. They 
Avere both said to have been as good animals 
as England can produce. One short horn cow, 
‘Venus,’ is a magnificent animal, and the bull 
calf ‘Columbus,’ a splendid fellow of his days. 
These are the only surviving cattle. They 
have also a few Leicesters, and thirty three 
