Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-08-09
Saving Seed Corn.

The growing of good, sound seed
corn, that will yield maximum crop,
properly begins year beforehand in
the shaping of the character of the
seed. Therefore select the seed for
| 1884 and 1885 from the ears already
growing in the field, and give it special
care. As rule, any thrifty farmer
can raise better seed than he can buy,
and it should be in his programme every
year to give his personal attention to
the growing of his own seed corn.
There is money in it. The average
yield of Indian corn for the whole
| country is not far from twenty-five
bushels to the acre. and the total Weld
sometimes reaches one billion seven
hundred millions bushels. With the
best husbandry, which means good
seed, good soil, manure and tillage, il
is not difficult TO raise seventy-five
bushels to. the acre. If fine, sound
seed corn. with good pedigree, would
add only ten per cent to the yield of
of this crop, it would increase the an
nual yield one hundred and seventy
million bushels, worth eighty-fve mil
lion dollars. Every thinking farmer
must see that he has u money interest
in securing sound seed corn, and in
knowing just what he plants He is
suffering loss every year, probably
from want of little timely attention
to this matter. He uses unsound corn,
possibly, for seed, selects from the
corn-crib the best he can find, or bor-
| rows from q neighbor as careless as
himself about the seed that he plants
A part of the corn rots in the field, and
he has to plant over, which makes ex-
ira expense. The late planted corn is
| caught by the frost, and he suffers loss
in the large proportion of soft corn that
he haryests. The slower is not rs well
cured for fodder, and cattle refuse the
mouldy mass. Heredity counts for as
much in vegetable as in animal life.
TO get maximum crops, you must have
seed perfect after its kind, with the
normal quantity of starch, gluten, oil,
and other constituents that belongs to
it. The plant must be well fed, cult
waited, and ripened in its appropriate
season to mature this kind of seed.
We say, then, select your ears of seed
corn, as they stand upon the stalk, in
August or September perfect ears,
well capped. Put string upon them,
or some mark, by which they can be
identified, and let them mature upon
the stalk. To make sure of perfect
drying, hang them up in punches upon
the south side of n building, or in a
yell-yentilated loft, or room with a fire
in it. The perfect drying of seed corn
is an important item. The corn should
not be shelled until the cob is thorough
~ dried. When you are ready for
planting, pour the seed corn into a
vessel of water, and skim of every kerr
mel that floats. That which sinks to the
bottom of the water is the best. and,
with suitable conditions of soil and
climate, will terminate and bear fruit
after its kind. Corn yields very kindly
to all intelligent efforts to increase its
productiveness and improve its quality.
BY selecting ears from stalks that bear
two or more ears, you can increase the
number of ears. BY selecting ears of
twelve or more rows, you can increase
the number OF kernels upon the cob,
always provided that you give the corn
plant food enough 70 do its best in the
harvest. Farmers who look carefully
after their seed corn, and raise seventy
five bushels to the acre, do not doubt
that it is paying crop.--4mcricaa
AgricultariSt.