Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-04-14
Testing Seed Corn.

Every spring brings more or less
trouble in the failure of seed corn to
terminate, owing, in nearly every
case, to want of care in the selection
and saving of seed. Those who use
care in selecting none but sound, ripe
ears, before hard frost, which there
after are kept in cool, airy, dry sit,
uation, have but little difficulty in the
termination of corn, unless, indeed,
a cold, wet storm occurs to chill the
seed just before it sprouts.
Last season was a peculiar one for
corn-cool and wet. Corn grew
heavily to stalk, and cared well, and
as consequence it was late in ripen-
ing, and hard weather caught much
of it soft, and with the cob filled with
moisture. Another pecull arity of last
season, and, owing to the same cause
heretofore stated, was that corn IL
penel irregularly; and thus, there
will be cause to fear difficulty IN
termination this spring, except where
the seed has been carefully selected,
and as carefully cured and saved
No corn kept in ordinary Western
cribs, will be entirely safe for plant
ing this spring. 1t will be wise pol
icy, therefore, to thoroughly test all
seed before planting.
One plan for determining the vital
ity of seed corn, is to examine the
conceal appearance of the grain, If
IN breaking the ear the point Of at
tachment with cob is black, and then
if it leave the tilament and cover
with the cob, the seed is not good
1t may terminate under favorable
circumstances. 1t should be rejected.
If in breaking the cob the fracture Is
brittle, the cob bright and firm, and
the grains look sound and firm, if
they be oily and sweet to the taste,
the probability is the seed will be
good. BY breaking an ear you know
to be good and one you are not sure
of and examine each critically, the
difference will be easily noted.
One side of the grains of corn, as
is well known, and that side lying
next the top of theear, contains 4
groove or indentation. At the bottom
of this, next the surface and covered
with pellicle or skin, will be found
the germ of the future plant. If the
whole grain be bright and plump,
and if, on raising the skin covering
the germ tits found of bright straw
color inclining to white, plump,
fresh, and not wrinkled and shriv
eled, the inference is the seed is
good. If the indications are other
wise, if the germ he dull, shriveled
or imperfect, reject it however good
the general appearance of the grain
may be.
TO those in doubt as to the sound
ness of their seed corn, it is altogeth-
err best to test its vitality before
planting, giving the corn the natural
conditions it would have planted in
the fields. To do this, shell from va
rious ears more or less of the grain.
Mix them together and selecting at
random ten or dozen grains, plant
these in pot or box where the sun
will heat the soil to about 20 degrees
during the day, allowing the temper
ature to fall to about SO degrees at
night; keep the earth moist-not
wet, and note the time of germlnat-
ing and the number of seed that
sprout. If the seed is really good the
whole number ought to appear i'll
eight or ten days.
TO those who are depending on
their cribs-and the majority of the
farmers do-select only from such as
have been kept dry, and if from wide
cribs, from near the outside. Such
corn, however, although it may look
tolerablc well, is not safe this year
Rather than to use such, we should
prefer to use seed year old, that
had been properly saved. Under IA
vorable conditions corn will retain
its terminating power perfectly for
two years. Weste,n Farm Jo"r-
nal.