The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-03
Improve Seed Corn.

Inc SnDJect OF seed corn is INTEREST,"
ing for many reasons, 1t is not the
farmers who lose their crops of corn by
poor seed that are the only sufferers.
The corn crop is so important that its
partial failure blights and paralyzes all
branches of industry and commerce,
Aud the questions of improving varie-
ties of corn and the plans of saving it
for seed are of the most serious impor-
Cance, and we ask no apology for their
frequent introduction to our readers
There has NOT been sufficient careful,
scientific efforts made to improve any
great staple There is no doubt
can be produced by selection, by
crossing and hybridizing, as early as the
| small varieties now SO prevalent for
green CORE The effort has been solely
with the view of making it early, with
out regard to the quality OF size: If as
much skill and care had been exercised
to perfecttth corn-the great source of
wealth of this country-as there has
been to 1snprove the grape, the straw
| berry, or even the larger Fruits, there
is no doubt but Il variety of large
| standard corn would now be had which
would mature as quick as the Early
| Compton or the King Phillip. But in
| efforts no obtain earlier varieties time
may be saved with better assurance of
success by taking the long cared varie-
| ties of early corn, such as the varieties
we have named. The efforts hereto
! fore have been in hyhEidizing only to
! obtain earlier varieties of the shallow
| "a, t.
a qUick-maturilg variety of the deep
grained, dent corn. it Wiil be necessary
to fertilize the early corn with the pol
len or blossoms of the large varieties.
In this way: Select the previous year
the earliest and best ears of the large
standard corn. Plar.t Ghis early in the
spriI 9 in place far removed from any
other corn, in each alternate row
Three OF four weeks Cater plant the va
cant rows with an early variety (say
Compton or King Philip. The time OF
planting this latter should be as near as
possible so that the two varieties viii
tasssl and silk at the same time just
before the silk $ppears on the early
corM cut off the tapssel Ggnd let the silk
of the early corn be fortified by the
|
lectseed for another year, and keep
eXpt rimentng by selection and hybrid
izing, enlisting your own feelings ana
interest and untn q variety of early
standard corn ls obtained certain Of
ripewing ears in our shortest seasons.
and Of producing the ,lN'gest amount
to the acre. Very little effort
has been made in this direction.
| But the partial failure of the corn croB
in nearly all of the Northwestern States
this year will certainly bring this SUBJ
| ject before the attention df men of sci
ence and patience.
| Farmers in even the older corn States
/ have hearned lesson, or sat least as
certained one fact, that corn raised in
| another State in different soil. though
in the same latitude, will not mature
as quick as corn acclimated. 1t is
found that seed corn obtained in Kan
sas and Missouri this year does not
ripen in Southern Illinois and Southern
Indiana as quick by two or three weeks
as it does in its native soil, or as quick
as corn, equally as large. which is ma
tive to the soil to which it il taken.
The loss ct corn from Nebraska, Kan
sas and Missouri seed corn, though Sc
rious now, will awaken and stir inves-
dgation, which will eventually more
tsan ten times compensate for the loss
this year. But it is dear school to
many. 1t Will impress the importance
of saving seed corn in time and taking
suitable care of it after it is saved. And
will awaken Investigation and expert
ment for a variety of corn which will
never fail.
Tomatoes have been improved so
that they mature in half the time they
did forty years ago, and are three times
as large Potatoes have been greatly
improved in early maturity, while the
size and quality have increased. The
strawberry has been produced four
times as large, while it is no later than
the dminutive specimens of half a
century ago. And they might be ear
her if necessary. And so on, we might
enumerate nearly all varieties of vege-
tables. berries, fruits and grains. But
the improvement of corn has been left
to gardeners who are only interested in
u shallow grained variety of corn. Now
rs the time for men of patience and per-
severance TO produce a very early va
riety of large corn. in which case there |
Will be no need of building monuments
OF marble or brass TO perpetuatc their |
memory TnJgo Cf,to D,1f.g...