Mme. Chiang Kai-shek Disti outing Seed Varieties:
University Tests From Oon Own Conesromenr Chengtu, Oct, 17.
As one sees the Szechuen market gardeners "work in their "All the yer round, all seasons attempts." to grow the greatest number of varied ties of vegetables produced of any place in the world, he cannot but Admire their determination and their fields crops grown both intensively, and extensively. In spite of the best methods used by farmers and market gardeners in saving seed for rowing, it has become very evident that, the seed of these adopted vegetables and grain have begun methods in trying to produce maximum yields from the land, with their. limited fertilizers, their individualist methods of' seed saving from individual plants in their own Chinese agricultural colleges and agricultural experiment stations have not yet come to the ald of the Chinese market gardener in making "variety tests" or demonstrating ced selection." There are no well financed native seed growers or seed merchants who engage plant-breeding experts to raise vegetable seeds of. disease-resistant varieties, that will ive the maximum returns from the Tand and adapted to. the peculiar conditions of the region of focal Trial and Error Method 'The Szechuen market gardener by '"eral and error," has developed his! own technique for producing market garden products, which, while growing. in their closely laid out rows In the gardens, where they get, individual' plant attention in fertilizer treatment, together with regulated water supply through very careful Irrigation methods, they seem to be able to produce, what locks to the untrained eye, like a maximum amount from. each acre cultivated. However, close examination and tual weighing records of the root and leaf. producing crops, shows, that, while the growing crops often Took Me an almost perfect carpet of green giving maximum returns per fre, the actual crop yields are not equal to crops frown in other countries, where much less careful cultural treatment is given.
This difference in actual returns is largely due to the fact that, in West ern countries, during the last fifty years, an immense amount of scien-tine work has been done, through government sources and by big seed business concerns, in breeding seeds of vegetables and other plants, to produce maximum returns from driven areas. When an Improved new variety of vegetable haz been developed, tested and found adaptable, not long before large amounts of "purebred. seed" is available for @istribution and sale.
Seed growing is an art and must] be carried on sclentifeally year by year. Roguing of inferior plants in the field" must. be severely and drastically carried through. Root fand Teaf plants that show a tendency to be different from the original deal, must be eliminated in order that the seed may be kept pure to Missionaries Bring Seeds Roman Catholic and__ Protestant mlelnareg ave, daring thei ity years been bringing vegetable Seeds from. their native, countries—Bronce, "aly, Germany. England, 'Rimerica, Canada and Australia. and feeds, grown from plants ina forge' number of gardens over a wide area, of China, have gradually got fen into the hands of Chinese form fers and market_gardeners.
Probably cabbages, Ald corn and rotatees, faves become more Iridely accepted than any others othe "present. On the Chengta bain, the. low-lying ills surround Ing the plain, or on' the remotest hills "and mountains of Seechuen, Kweichow and Yunnan, even amongst the different non-Chinese "ethnic Froups, one will find these three 'About twenty years ago, Rev. W. Hutson, China' Inland Mission, "sta tioned in Kuanhsien, gave seeds of the big onion to a local farmer. From ser, and seed grown year by year from the annual onion crop, Sead has been scattered over a wide chased_on the from May t2 August each year. This onion seed was of the brown Aus tralian variety, but it already shows signs of running down.
Exportable Onions At the same time, it is remarkable, how even the present market offer-Ing of this onion is. Though smaller also than the ideal onion abroad, the onions offered for sale by greengrocers shows, that big onion grow: {ng can be conducted well over a wider area, and become a very im: portant market garden crop. A. good shipping variety could be exported out of the province during the summer months. when steamship transportation is at its best, and freight charges at the lowest Flavour, texture, uniformity and other desirable cha well as productiveness, all are taken! reached the upper reaches of the Into "consideration by the plant) Yellow River and were forced back breeder and the seed selecting expert The consumer is largely interested in flavour, texture and uniformity. The producer must cater more and more to the taste; jot the consumer. There is a sameness in the flavour of a good many of the native varieties of vegetables, "real tack distinguishing Aavour.
In order to introduce new vane ties of vegetables, that will bring greater returns to the farmer and market gardener, and greater satisfection to the' consumer, Mme Chiang Kalcshek, in keeplig with their alm of doing something defnitely of a constructive nature for the people of Western China, is distri-During new varieties of cabbage, onions, carrots, peas. sweet corn and oats.
Wisconsin Cabbage The new variey of cabbage is] known as Wisconsin No, 8. This cab-age was bred and developed by the plant-breeding department of the 'University of Wisconsin. It is strain of the cabbage developed out of a variety of Hollander for resistance to yellows' disease, and Closely related to. Danish Ballhead, tone of the most popular main crop varieties used In the United States of America.
'The Chinese peas offered grees for human consumption, shelled or unshelled, are of the feld pea variety. and Tack size, flavour, texture and sugar content of the' garden pea varieties. The garden pea variety Jchosen for introduction is Improved 'Alderman, a pea that grows and bears well in the vicinity of Chengtu. 'This Improved Alderman given to a limited number of Chie ese farmers for further tests, to be grown in the folds amongst' their Beans that act as stakes, the method largely followed on the Chengtit plain. An attempt will be made to and farmers will be taught the tech unique of roguing and seed selection.
Big onion seed of the Sweet Spanish variety, which has shown
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.