Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-05-10
SEED TESTS
At the Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station.

At the Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station.
Following are some notes on tests of
seed corn made at the Ohio Agricultural
experiment station by W. S. DevOl. Re
suits in full will soon be published in a
bulletin by the station. In making these
tests, the conditions were kept as near the
same for all as possible In some instances
however. Very different results were OBJ
tained from samples sent at different
times, but said to have been taken from
the same lot OF seed. The conditions for
all were the best that could be obtained
by artificial means. and better than Is Sc
cured nine times in ten in outdoor plant
ing. Most of the tests were made for
growers, from corn which they themselves
sent.
1t is to be regretted that so few facts
concerning the corn were furnished with
the samples. In many instances a simple
statement to the effect that sample of
corn had been sent for testing was all, not
even the name of the variety being given.
Statements should be made as far as
known as to the date of planting and har-
vesting, or ripening of the corn; how kept,
whether in crib, shock, house or otherwise;
number of ears from which the sample
was taken: whether from butts, middles or
tips of ears; and any other facts regarding
the crop, the particular variety, etc
In all, ninety-one tests of seed corn have
been made this season. The average that
germinated for all the tests was 81 per
cent. Although this is a very small per
cent. for corn, it is much larger than was
predicted by many. Leaving out several
samples that were known to be UNFIT for
seed, the average is raised to 6S.4 per cent.
In all samples where it was known from
what part of the ears they were taken the
termination was carefully watched and
compared From this it was found that
the kernels from the butts of the ears
almost invariably produced the strongest
radical, and those from the middleS next.
OF the samples in which the kernels
were from the tips of the ears an average
of 703 per cent. sprouted; of those from
the middles of the ears only 5S.2 per cent.
sprouted; those from the butts did best, 76.1
per cent. having sprOuted.
Forty of the tests were of the Lean
ing" which gave better results on the
whole than most of the other varieties. OF
the forty tests an average of GA per cent.
Sprouted. varying from in the poorest
sample, to 100 per cent in the best. The
poorer was from corn harvested before
fully ripened and left in the shock over
winter; and one that Sprouted 100 per
cent. was from the same crop, but huSked
and dried in the fall. In the samples of
Leaning, those from the tips of the ears
gave an average of 1876 per cent sprouted;
those from the middles an average of 66.7
per cent sprouted; those from the butts an
average of 79.1 per cent. sprouted.
In the samples reported as taken from
the bin, or crib, or having remained in the
shock over winter, an average of only 45.6
per cent. sprouted; while on the other
hand, of that selected in the fall and dried
or kept from severe freezing, an average
of 80 per cent sprouted.
The corn that showed the greatest vital
ity was sent to the station by j. Newton
Berry, Hunter, o. Of 100 grains tested
all sprouted within forty-eight hours, and
only two produced weak radicals.
Other samples that sprouted nicely were
from J. S. Leaning, Washington, Ohio; 5.
III. Ellis SpringbOro, Ohio; Slater Brown,
Barton, Ohio; A. w. Livingston's Sons,
Columbus, o.; Chas. Searle, Berkshire, o..
A variety should not be condemned SIM
ply from the fact that the seed from last
years crop was killed by severe freezing or
other causes. Eighty-twO OF the samples
tested were dent corn, three were flint, and
six were sweet corn. The flint varieties
are undoubtedly the most hardy. --r....
VIM. r. LAZENBY, Director.