The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-11-29
Improve Seed Corn.

Improve Seed Corn.
The subject of seed corn is interest
ing for many reasons. It 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.
And the questions of improving varie-
ties of corn and the plans of saving it
for seed are of the most serious impor-
lance, 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
but that variety of large corn
can be produced by selection, by
crossing and hybridizing, as early as the
small varieties now so prevalent for
green corn. The effort has been solely
with the view of making it early, with
out regard to the quality or size. If as
much skill and care had been exercised
to perfect the corn-the great source of
wealth of this country-as there has
been to improve the grape, the straw
berry, or even the larger fruits, there
is no doubt but variety of large
standard corn would now be had which
would mature as quick as the Early
Compton or the King Philip. But in
efforts to 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 hybridizing only to
obtain earlier varieties of the shallow
grained, eight-rowed corn. To obtain
a understanding variety of the deep
grained, dent corn, it viii 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. Plant this early in the
spring in a place far removed from any
other corn, in each alternate row.
Three or four weeks later 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 will
tassel and silk at the same time just
before the silk appears on the early
corn cut off the tassel and let the silk
of the early corn be fortified by the
pollen of the large corn. From this Sc
lect seed for another year, and keep
experimenting by selection and hybrid
ling, enlisting your own feelings and
interest and until variety Of early
standard corn is obtained certain of
ripening ears in our shortest seasons.
and of producing the largest amount
to the acre. Very little effort
has been made in this direction.
But the partial failure of the corn crop
in nearly all of the Northwestern States
this year will certainly bring this SUBJ
ject before the attention of men of sci
ence and patience.
Farmers in even the older corn States
have learned a lesson, or at 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. It 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 is taken.
The loss of corn from Nebraska, Kan
sas and Missouri seed corn, though Sc
rious now, win awaken and stir inyes-
tigation, which will eventually more
than 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 diminutive specimens of half a
century ago. And they might be ear
lier 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
a shallow grained variety of corn. Now
is 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 perpetuate their
memory. --Loa0G State REGISTER.