CHAPTER II 
STUDY OF SEEDS 
A Field Trip.—Would you not like to go into the 
fields and study the seeds of our common farm plants? 
During the month of September there are many kinds of 
valuable as well as harmful plants, which are bearing 
seeds. It is interesting and profitable to know what is 
being raised on the farms near your home. 
Learn Seeds.—Did you ever stop to consider that 
most of the plants of next year will come from the seeds 
of the plants now growing in our fields? The cotton, 
corn, and grasses of next year will be largely determined 
by the quality of seeds planted. In fact, the plants you 
find growing in the fields are the parents of those which 
will grow next year. The strong and vigorous stalks of 
corn bear ears from which many strong stalks may grow. 
Selection means a larger yield, and greater profits for the 
labor of growing the crop. 
You may be interested in knowing that the improve¬ 
ment in all our farm crops has come through selection 
and cultivation. Our cultivated plants were once wild. 
Man has selected the best from these until our cultivated 
plants not only provide for future propagation but also 
a large amount of food for the human race. Think of 
the hundreds of millions of people who eat rice, wheat, 
and corn as a part of their daily food. Think of the 
great needs of the people of the earth for food. 
Seed Classification.—Experience shows that very few 
boys and girls or active plant growers are able to take a 
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