Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-21
FARM AND GARDEN.


ne time 1Of gathering corn VIII soon
be upon us, and before that work is per-
formed every farmer should 60 through
his fields and select the largest ears for
next years planting 1t will involve some
trouble TO do this, but the farmer will find
his corn greatly improved by the opera
ton. One writer who has pursued this
plan Of obtaining his seed, says he ties
number of the ears together and swings
them across piece Of timber placed for
the purpose in dry room, where the
corn can be kept secure from the action
Of the weather In this way his corn is
kept perfectly sound and in good order
A Working Farmer" communicates to
the Rural NeW Yorker an experiment
he made with reference to seed corn. 1t
has been generally assumed that the GEN.
trail section of an ear of corn contains
kernels more fully developed than those
on either of the extremties, hence prefer
able for planting To determine whether
this assumption was correct or the re-
verse, selections were made of given
number of kernels from the butt, the
centre and tip of half dozen ears and
weighed on the scale of an apothecary.
The result was that the grains from the
tip were considerably lighter than those
from the central section Of the cobs, and
these again lighter than those from the
butt As the terminating power of the
kernel naturally depends on Its solidity
the conclusion is naturally and logically
in favor Of the butt section for seed.
There may be more in this than is gener-
ally supposed, and it should induce a
thorough test, especially when the com
parison can be so readily and cheaply |
made. A correspondent Of the New |
Iork Independent gives his experience
rs follows
Some ten years ago planted an ear of |
corn to test the difference between the pro- /
duct of the kernels Of both ends and the |
middle Of the same ear, and will give you
the result. The soil was Just alike, the cul-
tivation the same, and the crop very diff
ferent l planted the first two rows from
the large end Of the ear, the next two rows
from the tip OF small end and planted all |
the same morning The large end pro-
duced fair sized ears, with irregular rows,
much as you would find them at that end
of the ear. The middle kernels produced
large ears, mostly straight rowed and fair.
The tips brought forth nl6binS Onlv. There
was not a fair ear on the two rows of corn.
/ have raised corn, more or less, for forty
years, and now plant only about half or at
most two-thirds Of the kernels on each ear
of corn; and generally raise good crops.
Save your seed corn and hang it up in the
fall.
An Ohio correspondent of the Country
Gentleman asks Does any one know
whether the end grains on an ear of corn
should be planted or rejected 2' to which
Mr. Levi Bartlett replies through the
same paper as follows
The above has been a debated question |
ever since / can remember. In 1858 an
experiment was instituted and carried |
through on the farm connected with the |
Reform School in Westborough, Mass, in
order 20 ascertain the facts ~ the case An |
acre of land was planted with corn, in al
ernate rows, with seed taken from the
butts, middle and tips of the ears.
The sound corn, soft corn and stover of
each were weighed, and in the report is a
able Of figures, showing the yield of each
sind Of seeds. But as they would occupy
90 much space in this, l omit them, aud
imply give the results as reported by Mr.. 4
Flint, Secretary of the Massachusetts, a
Board of Agriculture. He says: On com q
pairing the crops grown on this field, and =
the sound corn and the stover ! Q
1t seven dollars the ton, it will be found
hat the value Of the crop produced by the
rows planted with seed taken from the butts,
vas So SO. The value of the produce of
he rows seeded from the tips of the ears
vas So 36,-(pretty near a draw CAMEL |
The butts produced the most, the tips the
next, and the middle the least money |
value; while the tips produced the most, !
he butts the next and the middles the
east sound corn and middles produced !
he most, the butts the next and the tips !
east soft corn. IL il difficult to determine 9
1y this experiment from what part of the :
EAR the seed should be taken Probably a :
mixture of the whole ear, being most t
natural, would be the best Most farmers c
n this section reject an inch or two of the
'orn on the tip of the ear. They think, Z
md very naturally too, that the very small 4
kernels on the tip Of the ear will produce
mall, weak plants, and corresponding il
ara if there should happen to be any. >
nave always, in Smelling seed corn, fed the p
mall kernels Of the tips TO nv fowls and,
IS At is sometimes hard breaking long -
ormed habits my fowls will still continue
o feed on the diminutive grains Of corn on
he small end of the cob" |