The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-05-21
Choosing Seed Corn, Etc.

Choice seed and better culture should
| go hand in hand. Enrichment and till
age have much to do with the quality
and swell of our corn crop. but sensefuI
and careful choice of seed would grow
to an equal factor in footing up its bush
| els. In truth, think that in the near
future better choice is the great hope of
this grand staple. We have trusted too
much to manure, or to natures enrich
ment, or the deep virgin soil of the vast
West; but seed choice and better kinds
have been little tried or studied.
Now God fashioned the corn-stalk
ready for man to grow an ear at every
joint; yet the average farmer is blind to
the chance and holds to the old ruts.
His choice OF seed begins and ends at
picking from the corn-bin the longest
and heaviest grain-weighted ears. Even
with this half wit in its business, the
harvest piles the corn-cribs. No crop
ILLS the eye with so grand a sight and
sense of plenty. In the dearth of food
abroad, its troop of frings yearly gains
1t better relish on the palate of the
world and a stronger foothold in its
grain marts. Diplomacy might help in
this. We make foreign ministers, at
taches and consuls out of a little litera-
ture and a great deal of politics; sup
pose we foster commerce in Indian
corn by making diplomats out of first
class adopts IN all the toothsome viands
of which Indian corn is master.
But the business of corn-growing
wants brains plowed under and planted
right alongside its buried food. Well
studied, skillful trial and method, put
at the service of the plants root-groWth
and seeding, will pay we'll The choice
and care put into other business will
prove in this better helps than whole
barn-yards turned under. or heavy doses
OF special manures. Yet spare not your
enrichment! If this years crop does
not eat up it substance. the next will
render you account of its service. At
the present time let every corn-raiser
study the plants ways and post himself
on what others have found out.
give my own little record, and,
years before the war. | largely fur
nished others with sweet seed corn and
yellow eight-rowed New England. My
method in field work was heavy manur-
ing, level culture and -down-earing
stalks. As soon as the crop matured I
had every stalk with two or more ears
cut up and looped two and two and
hung on nails or poles in the corn-crib.
When fit for Smelling, a second choice
was made from stalks bearing the most
and best ears. Seed from these was
kept for my next planting.
Under this plan, year by year. the
quantity and quality of the crop made
great gain. 1 soon found plenty of
stalks with three good ears. But busi- |
ness down in Dixie broke up my corn
crop. as well as other things, andI have
never renewed the culture.
call especial note to the need of |
gathering the seeds and stalks together.
You can rarely trust Farmland to
pick to basket from your two or more
cared stalks. 1t requires watchful-
ness and denial of full basket to which
he is not equal; but he cannot well |
shirk or blunder in the choice of two
cared stalks. Nor will the average
;. hand' stop even to choose closely the |
best ears from the stalks in cribs; this
work you should do yourself of a rainy |
lay or at some leisure. Gen. VIM. H.
No6le, in Rural Nes0 Yorker.