this respect, and we must actually test those ears in which the eye has failed to find evidence of faulty germination. Again the analogy holds. We must eliminate the tobacco seeds of poor germination, and test those which perchance we have concluded were all right, that we may have the strongest and the best from which to produce our seedlings. Having selected the desirable stalk, it has been found that in every pod there are a large percentage of seed which will not germinate at all, and that there is again a large percentage which will germinate but weakly, and that rarely do we find a larger amount than 40 per cent which would be really desirable to use as seed. It has been found by the various experiment stations that the vitality of the seed is indicated by the relative weights of the seed. The very light ones in every pod will not germinate, the medium may, but will not produce strong and healthy seedlings, and that only the heavy ones will produce a seedling of sufficient vigor to give us a good start toward a crop. Hence, the necessity appears for the separation of the heavy from the light and chaffy seeds. The reason for this is readily seen, and its importance should commend the practice of seed separation to every grower in the State. Tobacco seed is among the smallest if not the very smallest with which the farmer must deal. At best it can obtain but little food for the germ within itself, and in the case of the very light there is not enough to support the germ until it can feed upon the plant food in the earth into which it is cast, and it dies unavoidably. In the medium there may be enough to sustain the germ, but not enough to make a strong germ development, and hence a stunted plant, a disappointment during the whole season. Only the very heaviest will have enough plant food against the time when the germ will be sufficiently developed to draw its food from its environment. There are various methods by which this can be done. The method by which it is done is immaterial, if the results are secured. I shall outline a few methods. In the Bible we read of the winnowing process. This ought to give us an idea of a simple and I believe practical method. On a very still day, when there is no perceptible movement of the atmosphere, when it would appear as though there were a dead calm, take your seed, a table oil cloth or a very large paper, spread it on the ground, and then pour the seed out slowly upon the paper or oil cloth. There will be enough air stirring to blow the light and chaffy seed so that it will not fall upon the cloth or paper, only the choice heavy seeds will fall upon the cloth below. If one winnowing doesn't seem suflicient, it can be treated to a second winnowing. In this there must be an almost perfect calm, otherwise the whole of the seed will be scattered to the winds.

Another method, where atmospheric conditions cannot be found, is to produce them. An open grate with a roaring fire-with only one opening-will produce a draft toward the fire. One can stand in the door and drop the seed slowly onto a paper or oil cloth. This draft artificially made will do the same thing as the wind. The desirable seed will fall directly upon the receptacle, the undesirable ones being drawn toward the grate.

Another method is by casting the seed into a pan of water; the heavy ones will sink and the light ones float; the light ones can then be skimmed off. This has many advocates, not as a perfect method of seed separation, but as one which will be found very beneficial. It is one method suggested by the Department at Washington. I have tried it and I find but little to recommend it. In fact, it is the method of last resort. The best method, however, is by means of a blower. The Government Department at Washington has devised an apparatus which seems to me to be almost ideally adapted for the purpose herein mentioned. It consists of a glass tube about one inch in diameter, inside measurement. This is set upon a stand with a receptacle for the glass tube. On one end of the glass tube is a very fine screen to prevent the seed from falling through. Into this end by means of a foot bellows is introduced a current of air. The seed is then poured into the glass tube and the air is turned on. The light chaffy seed is blown out of the top of the tube and the heavy seed remain in the tube. This is an almost perfect separation, and while the machine costs something, it will last a whole community for years, and hence we think it will justify any locality to buy one of these separators. In almost every tobacco district there is reported a gradual deterioration both

358

BIENNIAL REPORT COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE.

in yield and texture from year to year. In some cases this deterioration is fancied, not real, but in a large number of instances there is a decided deterioration, and this is due almost entirely to a lack of systematic and careful seed selection, and when it is constantly shown that such deterioration is a source of great loss to producers, greater care should be taken in the selection of individual seed stalks. I have seen the seed stalks selected one after another in a row, 4 to 10, and these up close to the shed to be handy. This will never do. The chances are extremely remote that you will ever find two stalks together representative of the best types. They are likely to be found one here, one there, and hence they must be selected wherever they may be found. A farmer should by all means select his own seed, not depending upon a seedsman or the other fellow for it. It is a wise thing to secure a little foreign seed every year, try it out, acclimatize it. and if perchance you receive anything promising, further improve by selection. By this method there may be a marked improvement in the type, both along lines of increased yield and quality.

There is an idea that it is a wise practice to save enough seed one year for several subsequent years, the notion prevailing that there is no deterioration in germination due to the aging of the seed. Such a notion became prevalent among a class of farmers, and indeed among such class of farmers it has several things to recommend it-those who do not pay any attention to the behavior of plants in the field, who do not consider anything but size or yield, unmindful of disease-resisting qualities or quality or texture when they make their seedstalk selections; but among those who are cognizant of the many problems entering into seed selection it is never advisable to select seed for more than one year, save that this is always a wise plan, to select enough for one, two or three years ahead against the possibility of hail, frost, or an abnormally poor tobacco season, and hence poor seed. One year without this precaution might undo the work of years of careful and painstaking selection.

In conclusion, we would urge a very careful study of the class of tobacco the local market demands. Having found this type, then give a most careful and painstaking attention to the improvement of this type, to the end that there may be an increased yield of better quality. This will result in economical production. Part of the land now devoted to tobacco can be utilized for other crops, and part of the time now devoted to tobacco can be utilized in the solution of the many and varied problems continually and insistently be fore the farmer.

ESTIMATES OF FOOD PRODUCTS SHIPPED INTO NORTH

CAROLINA IN 1909.

INTRODUCTION.

There was a time when the farmers of North Carolina produced all the staple crops consumed in the State; but that time has passed. The recent exploitation of our water-power, our nearness to the sources of raw material from field, forest, and mine, and our easy access, by our numerous railway systems, to deep water on the coast, have all combined to accelerate our growth into a leading manufacturing State, having all the demands made by such a State upon the crop-producing capacity of its agricultural districts.

When the Battle Cotton Mill was erected on Tar River, in 1816, the vast majority of North Carolinians were on the farm. But as the cotton milling industry and other manufacturing enterprises grew up many of the farmers found it more profitable to move to the mills and, with their families, work for wages than to remain on the farm, where only the bare necessaries of life could be secured on account of the general lack of markets for their surplus products.

By thus draining the rural districts the manufacturing towns have grown larger and larger, till now those farmers who chose to remain on their lands are entirely unable, by their present methods, to supply themselves and spare enough for their neighbors in the towns.

What is found in the following pages, therefore, will not be construed to mean that our farmers are not prosperous, but that the demands made on them are far in excess of the supply, and should emphasize the great opportunities offered by our local markets for investment in and operation of farm lands in this State.

Early in the year this division was directed to ascertain, so far as possible, the approximate amounts of food products shipped into the State from outside sources during 1909. Six hundred copies of the following letter and blank were addressed to secretaries of commercial clubs, mayors, traffic managers of the different railroads, and leading business men of the State. From these six hundred letters only one hundred and thirty replies were received, and nine of these gave percentages rather than figures. These replies may be considered to cover from one-fifth to one-fourth of the State.

We took special pains to eliminate all duplications, so that no estimate could have been counted twice. No estimations were submitted by jobbers or wholesale dealers.

Among our replies we found but fourteen from counties with a good local market, and but two from cities that would be considered among the leading markets of the State. The vast majority of the estimates came from small towns in strictly agricultural counties.

MY DEAR SIR:-The State Department of Agriculture is making an effort to secure some accurate statistics on the amount of food supplies shipped into the State yearly from outside sources. We will be very grateful to you, therefore, if you will oblige us by filling out the inclosed blank with the amount of those articles consumed in your town this year which were produced outside the State. If details are not at hand, a general statement of the food products consumed in your town but produced outside the State, will be appreciated. This is very valuable information for the Department and we are sure you will gladly give it. If you cannot comply with this request, kindly hand it to some one who can.

Please return the enclosed blank at your earliest convenience, and oblige, Yours very truly, J. L. BURGESS,

By direction of the Commissioner.

Agronomist.

The following articles have been shipped into the State during 1909:

A large number of articles might have been added to the list, but it was deemed more expedient to call particular attention to those products, the entire consumption of which might be easily supplied by North Carolina farmers.

It will be understood that most of the figures given in this bulletin are only estimates, but these estimates have been submitted by men who were in position to know the conditions existing in their localities, and we feel that great importance should be attached to the figures given. In a few cases the railroad companies have given us data taken directly from their books, and these, of course, must be taken as en

tirely correct.

The prices on which the following calculations are made are assumed to be wholesale prices, or such as the farmers generally get for their produce on the general market. Since it is generally known that prices fluctuate in different localities on account of local conditions, etc., it was thought best to put the rates rather low in order to include the greatest number of cases. It will be an easy matter, however, for any one to make calculations based on the prevailing prices of commodities in his locality.

MILL FEEDS.

We made no inquiry as to the amount of mill feeds shipped into the State in 1909, but in order to show the large amounts of importations of food and feed supplies which could be ascertained from carefully kept records, we append the following approximate tonnage of mill feeds shipped into the State in 1910, as shown by the records kept in the Department:

TONS

VALUE @ $17 A TON.

80,500

.$1,368,000

WHEAT AND FLOUR.

We found one hundred and seven of our replies that contained flour in their estimates and twenty-five that contained wheat. The amount and value are given below:

North Carolina has 31,091,200 acres of land surface, the larger portion of which is arable. We grew wheat on 570,000 acres in 1909, which produced in the aggregate 5,415,000 bushels.

Careful statisticians have estimated that each man, woman and child in the United States consumes an average of about 512 bushels of wheat a year. If these statistics be true for North Carolina we consume in a year, basing our calculations on a population of 2,200,000, about 12,100,000 bushels of wheat. This forces us to import 6,685,000 bushels to supply the demand of home consumption.

If we should increase our yields from 9.5 to 25 bushels per acre we would supply our home demand and have 2,150,000 bushels to sell each year. This increase in yield is by no means impossible. Individual yields running over 25 bushels to the acre have been reported from many