Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-09-28

| trouble, ana perhaps next years crop.
| Yours &c, j. H. DAVIS.
Corn is the most important crop rails
ed, and it's improvement should claim a
large amount Of our attention. There
should not only be great improvement
in the preparation of the soil, and in it's
cultivation, but in the improvement of
the seed. The Agricultural Department
of the United States has sent out to
Iowa various specimens Of corn, claim
ing that it was extra early. We have
tried fairly at least half-dozen lots,
and invariably they were from four to
six weeks later than our average field
corn. We planted this year peck each
of two specimens from the Department,
but they are at least one month behind
our own corn, and can scarcely be ex-
pected now to escape the frost. But
there should be experiments by our ex-
detrimental farmers, or men Of means
and time, to improve the size and early
ripening qualities of this great crop
Many good farmers carefully go through
their fields early in September and Sc
lect the earliest, largest and best ears
for seed, and think they are thereby ad-
vancing the quality Of corn yearly. But
they have lost sight of the fact that
these early and choice ears have all been
fortified by the pollen from late, weak
and Indifferent corn growing in the ad-
joining or in the same hill. And this
seed will produce the next year not like
itself, but like the stalk from which it
was fortified. If, therefore, we would
improve our corn, commencement must
be made sooner. An acre or so of corn
should be planted far removed from any
other field of corn, and then so soon as
the earliest and most thrifty stalks tas-
sci and silk out, all the feeble and late
stalks, which are not so far advanced,
should be either entirely removed or the
tassel cut off before it blooms, thus de-
priving it of shedding it's pollen on the
early ears: By constant and repeated
efforts in this way a much earlier and
better quality might be produced.
Another trial might be made by plant
ing an acre apart as in the first instance
with alternate rows-one of very early
quality and the other of very large
kind The early kind to be planted so
much later that pollen Of the early will
be just ready to fertilize the silk Of the
large kind. Then by cutting off the tas-
sci Of the large kind and let it be ferti-
lized by the pollen Of the early kind-or
rice rerSa-there mi ght be in this way
far superior quality Of corn produced
suitable for high northern corn BELTS
But seed corn gathered just after it
has passed from the dough state has in
variably proven to have more vitality
than corn which was permitted to ripen
thoroughly on the stalk. The seed will
stand more cold and wet in the spring
without rotting, and will grow more
thrifty during the entire season. This,
we believe, is a position no longer dis
puted by careful experimenters This,
then, will SETTLE the question when seed
should be gathered The sun-the glo-
rious sun-the fertilizer of earth and
invigorator of man-is the best agency
for drying the seed corn when gathered.
Spread it in the sun in situation where
it can be protected from night dews and
rains A few days will prepare it for
storing.
A year since we gave directions for
the best place for keeping seed corn. 1t
is in the upper story of the smoke house
If the farmer has no smoke house, and
unfortunately many have not, one can
be built cheaply. 1t will take 1924 feet
of dressed and matched boards, II feet
long. Stand the boards perpendicular,
making it ten feet high on one side and
twelve on the other The lower story
for smoke house, and five or six feet
of the upper part for seed corn. Make
the floor for the corn room with Stats, so
that the corn can be dried and smoked
at the same time 1t can be thoroughly
dried out in the fall, then closed up till
near spring. Then when the meat is
smoked the seed corn will be so saturat-
ed with the smoke that neither SPUR
rels, worms or other insects will disturb
the early corn sprouts.
A smoke house and seed corn crib can
be easily and cheaply made. The lum
about 50, and any farmer can build it
some Saturday instead of going to town.
The seed corn in this position is not ex
posed to the steam from the tubs on
washing days, from dampness which fire.
quently occurs about dwelling house;
nor is it exposed to the gas arising from
wheat bins, horse stables or hog pens,
which is sometimes fatal to the vitality
of seed, and then the farmer is astonish-
ed that his seed did not grow Good
seed would have saved to Iowa this
year 25,000,00O bushels of sound corn.
And every man, by the plan proposed
can have good seed without a contingency
or doubt.