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THE SHL“ACTION OF SHED.

Tre selection of seod for growing plants is 42
o1estion which has heen prominent in Apfricultural and
Horticultural Societies for some years, and many ex-
periments haves been conducted along this line.

The expsriment station at Geneva, New York, has,
from time to time, published the results of their ssed
selections; and while they gonerally favored the selectim
of large seeds, there was an occasional preference for
the small.

In 1885 an experiment with onion seed gave only
a slight difference in favor of the large seed. Again,
the same year, cabbars seeds were tried, when, to their
surprise, tne smaller seeds gave tne larrar, sounder
heads; cauliflower also pave preference for the small
89ed; but in both the plants wers from ten days to two
wees later in maturing.

In 1887 they tried an extensive expsriment with
large and small oat seed, aid the results obtained
were such as to warrant tho New York Station in making
tne statement that "there was wisdom in planting selected

seeds,"
JHESIS
-D=

This decision is not surprising, it corresponds
with experiments made by others; among them Francis
Galton's, the outcome of which he gave in a lecture
refore The Royal Institution of England, Feoruary Oth,
1877, His exveriment was conducted by distributing the
seeds to different farms in England, and having the
results overtiumed to him for study. He stated that
"the offspring did not tend to resemble the parent in
size but to be smaller than the parent if the parent
was largs, and to be larper than the parent if the parent
Was small." His conelusion was based not only on this
exporinent, but also on a close study of the maman
family, and he laid down this law-

"The mean filial regression towamis mediocrbty was
directly proportional to the parental deviation from it.*
Prof. B. T. Galloway, of the National Department

of Arriculture, in an article printed in "American
Gardening,*® September 26,1896, ma:es some valuable
statements in regard to the planting of selected seed

of the radish. By using large, uniform seeds the radishes
matured early and the entire crop was marketable at

the same time. In this manner he was able to get 90%

of the crop at once and coming early into market hoe
commamied top prices. The uniformity of the product
allowed him to clear his fround immediately and prepare
for a new crop. He stated further "Where seed, as

ordinarily obtained in market, is used, about 35 per

94941
cent of the crop will reach mafketable size in from

36 to 40 days; 28 per cent will require 16 days longer;
While the rest will probably never be worth anything.
Prof. Galloway recommended that, in omer to separate the
inferior seed and dirt from the large ses, a sieve be
eonstructed.of "a circular piecs of thin sheet brass 6
inches in diameter, with holes 2/25 of an inch in
diameter cut in it, the holes about 1/6 of an inch
apart. The perforated sheet then provided with a rim
of prass or tin 2 inches high." This makes a cup in
which the seed can be put and the small ones, with the
dirt, shaken through the holes, leaving only the large
seeds in the dish.

AS subject matter for this thesis the followings
Oxys riment in seed selection was conducted during the
Winter at the Collerze.

Three grades or sizes of seed, larre, averaye, and
small, were selected from the following sight garien
Plants: radish, turnip, cabbage, lettuce, bset, tomato,
onion, and carrot. One hundred of eacn sixe were taken,
Making threes hundred seed from each of the above vege-
tables. These wars divided into lots of 50 seeds each,
that the expsriment might be duplicated; thus more near-
ly obtaining an average result, and also establishing
a check on the experiment.

The seed was planted in six boxes; tow veing for
larre seed, two for small, and two for the seed of

averare size. This put 50 of each vind of seed in eacn box.
Table I.

Omer and Arrangement of the Seed as Planted Jan. 12,1809.

Let= On—- Bset.Car- Cab= Tur= To- R2xI-
tuce. ion. rot. bage.nip. mato.ish.

Box I- Larvs seed- — —- — 50 50 50 50 50 50 5O 560
Box Il-Lurfe seed—- —- — — 50 50 50 £50 50 50 50 50

Box IlI-Averass seed - = 50 59 50 60 560 £50 - 60 50

Box IV-Averars seed—- — — 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Box V-Small seed@—- —- —- = = 50 59 50 50 50 50 BO 50
Box VI-Small seed=— —- —- — 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 59

After a thorough mositening the boxes were placed
in a forcing house with a temperature of about 560° F.

The facts which were to be noted will be found in Table II.

ist. Date of appearance above pround; 2nd. Numrer of days
between planting and appearance above ground; 31d. Per
cent of seeds germinated. Whenever it may appear, (a)
Stands for the average, (1) large, and (s)small, each of

these referrirns to the size of sced used.
Table II.

7 marks those where the oer cent germinating from the
large seed fell below those of the seed of averare size,

 

Date of Numter of er cent
Name. appearance days to ap- of
above ground. pear apove seed
£round. _. germinating.
Radishes- (a)j- - - Jan. 14------ - Q- = = = ~90
" (lj- --- © 144---+--- OS 04
" (S)e_ --- © 1G - ---— - Se ee - @ 85
Turnips- (a)- --- © 24- ~~ —- —~—~12- - - = -40
" (lhe e=e- = © 236- -- - — ~ lli- - --- 50
" (sje = —-— * 27-2 ~~ ~ — - 16- - - - = 34
Cappage= (a)-=_-=|-=|= 8" 828----+--- 16—- —~ - — —26
" (ljze ee —- § Q2I- ~~ ~ - - - 15=—- --- 37
" (s}¥ ---—- * 8]----- ~ 19- - - —- = 15
Lettuce- (aje = -- * 16------ 4----+- 93
" (l} =--=—- " 16--+---- - —~4—--- - = 96
Bje ee =—- *§ 16---- - - 4-—---+-- 83
Bast- (ajee--——- * 1B -- -- —- G- - —- -£180
" (l)_ meee " 175 -- - - = 5B- - - —/150
« (s)» —-—-=—- © 17-2 - + - = = 5—- —- - — 128
Tomato- (aj —-~--=- * 19--+--- - Fo —~ —- —- —40
" (lje = —-_—_ * 19------ Fe --- = 50
" (B)—_ eee * 20- = - - - = 8- --- 34
Onion- (aj- --=- *" 20------ 8- ---- 60
" (l)je_ e--- *® 202 -- - - = B----- - 60
« (sje ee m- * 20---- - - -8- ---- 50
Carrot- (aj---- * S31------ 19- - - - #60
" (l)jp --- * 31------ 19- - - - #45

te (s)j- -=]-_=— * 81l----- = 19—- —-- — 30
-~C—

The radishes appeared above ground in two days, the
three different sizes sprouting at ‘bout tre sams tine;
tre lettucs germinated in four days; beets, five days;
Cabbage, sixteen days;carrots, nineteen days. The small
seed sprouted last in every case, but was only noticeable
to any extent in tre cabbage and turnip, where in both
eases the small seed was three days later than the larre.

Aftor tro appearance of the plants above ground the
rrowth was noted carefully from day to day. February
6th, twenty-five days after planting, a careful estimate
was made and it was foum tat the plants from the large
Seed were better developed, being uniform in size and
easily outclassing those in the otrer poxes. Of the plants
from the sead of average sizé, there was a lack of regular-
ity in frowth, and, as a rule, the number was less than
from the large seed. The small seed produced tie least
number, and to 211 appearances they were infirm in growth
and vitality.

Table III.

Weights of 10 radishes from the different size seed.
10 radishes from small seed weifrhed 9 02.

20 " " averace size" " 14 OZ.
10 * large » * 19 OZ.

These results were optained 26 days after planting,
when the s2bove table shows that the plant growth was much
in favor of larre seed.

Krom Table II, showing the per cent of seed germinat—
sd,we find that, with two exceptions, thse per cent of

plants from tre larre s9ed is the greatest. With the peets
and carrots tne seed of avserare size put forth the
greatest number; but this mignt be explained by the fact
that it was vary div’ficult to separate the seed. The
per cent germinatine from the large and avrerace onion
seed wes aad. But taring the crerminating test as a
whole, the per cert was always least with the smaller
secd, and trere was a decided preterence for larre s3ad.

March lst, forty-seven iays after pianting, the tomato
and. cabbare plants were taken from tre seed boxes, where
they were corfined for space, and transplanted. ‘en
Plants were taken from tre sseds of different size,makins
thirty tomatoes and thirty cabvages. March 7th, of those
which had been re-set the stems sent out from tre large
ssed were in the lead, being at least 1/6 lavrer than
those from the averare seed; inferior stems were found
only among thors sent out by t'e smaller. Two weeks
later the large ard averare plants were nearly equal,
while the small ones were much the latest. The tomatoes
did not differ in cize as moch as did the cabvage, but
this was probably dus to the fact that the larver tomato
plants had started flower buds.

Maren 28th, the cabdbare an. tomatoes were weiprnsd,

and trs results of the weirhing aro civen in Table IV.
Table IV.

Average Weight of the Tomato and Cabbarze plants

in grams..
4 cabbage trom large seed- - - = = 1-93 prams.
5 " averare ®*.~—- - - = 1.90 *
5 " small "--+--+---= 1.85 *
5 tomatoes * larre *.--+---- 8.50
5 " " average *" - - - - - 7.00
5 " * small wee - - = 6.00

The average was taxen of 5 plants in each case, with
the exception of the cabbage from the large seed, where
Only 4 were available.

This table above gives a preference to selection
of large seed in the cabbacs and tomato.

Nine tomato plants were left growing, three from
each sized seed, and April 6th buds had started on all
of trem. april 12th two plants from the large seed and
one from the average had oponed flower buds, but those
from the small seed had not.

The experiment closed April 2;th; the nine tomitoes
remaining were cut, carefully weighed,and the buds and

flowers counted.

Table V.

Number of Buds Produced,and Average Weight of Plants in Grams.
No.of Buds. Av.Wt.inGrams.

3 tomatoes from larve seede —- —- 48 —- -~- = = = 3 1/3

3 " * average ®"§---4]----- 3

3 " * small we - - W-- --- 3
-~9—

The plunts from the larse seed were superior in
gfrowtn and had the greater number of buds and flowers;
the plants from the average sizéd seed had nearly the
Same number of buds, but were perhaps a we2k later;
those from the small seed were equal to those from the
average sized seed in growth, but were much later in de-
velopment of buds, having only eighteen.

The results which have b2en attained warrant us
in saying that "plants from selected large seed are
earlier in maturity; they have a greater plant growth
and produce thse greater number of fruit buds."

Men prominent in agricultural interests recommend
a careful study of tre various experiments along this
line. And when w92 consider the importance of seed in
the growing of a uniform crop to early maturity, and the
larce amount of money expended annually by farmers and
gardaners in our State alone, for the growing of farm and
Farden products, we can readily unferstand what is to be
cained by the selection of perfect s9ed, and the loss
occasioned by the planting of worthless and impure seed.

With the results of tre various seed experinents
in mind it is well for a person to be guided in his selec-
tion of seed py 1 few general rules.

1lst.— Select a desirable vaktiety of ssced and satisfy

yourself tnat it is true to name.
~lO0—

and.=- Test the germinating power and insist on the seed
baing standard.

3Mde— Select the lsrgve ssed by means of a seed separa—
tor. in some casss the smail and inferior seed cannot be
separated, but the farner must use his judgment.

If tre grower will follow these threo steps, they
will insure him a profit which will command a food market;
his crop will be uniform on the ground from having tested
the germinating power, and he can harvest the entire field
at once, which will be less expensive and at the same

tine the ground is made ready for the next crop.
-lLle

Peas Affected by the Pea Weevil.

In connection with the experiment in seed selection
there were some pea s9eds containing the pea weevil. The
seed was planted to show the evil effedts of the work
of the weevil on germination.

Fifty seed which had been enterseé by the weevil
were selected, also fifty which hod not. These were
planted in rows, and all had the same care.

Of the fifty which appeared sound, 438 germinated in
five days, the other 7 did not develop beyond a slirht
swelling, due, no doubt, to the moisture in the soil.

Of the fifty containing the weevil, none developed
Or showed any sign of rerminating, and they swelled but
slightly.

The peas which were affected were badly so, and there
is no wonder that they failed, but it is our opinion
that, if tre weevil has not eaten in to the canlide, the
pea, although defective and liable to decay, may retain

vitality sufficient to germinate.
Z aa _
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