McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-10-11
Experience With Seed Corn.

PhiIadelphia Record.
Now that corn is being alvested,
the time is at hand for selecting the
seed for next years crop. Professor
Sturtevant, of the New York Agricul-
tural Experiment Station, deserves the
thanks of every farmer in the country
for the valuable information he has
published in his official bulletins, and
one of the most important series of ex-
periments conducted was that relating
to corn. The professor reminds farmers
that there are a number of distinct
races of the corn plant, and he classifies
such with botanical terms, which may
be omitted here, but the common names
are the pops, fiints, dents, sweets and
softs. These differ from each other,
more or less, in the construction of the
kernels, and in the habit of ripening
and growth. The flint corn kernal,
when split open, is found to show three
structures-the chit, or germ, lying in
q starchy substance, which is sur
rounded by corneous envelope. This
corn ripens from outward inward. The
dent corn has the chit, starch and corn
eous envelope, but the corneous por-
ton occupies the sides, while at the
terminal portion the starch comes to
the surface. This kind of corn ripens
from within outward. The Tuscarora
(soft corn) is composed of the chit and
a starchy portion, the corneous part
being absent. This ripens from the
outside inward. The sweet corn shows
the chit and corneous portion, without
visible starch. To these four types
may be referred all the kinds that are
known, and they preserve remarkable
constancy.
Some light is given also in relation
to the germin alton of the tips, butts
and other portions of the ear. The
flint corn tips are superior to other
grains of that race, while with dents
the opposite facts hold true, which &C
counts for the many apparent dis
crepancies that have appeared on the
comparisons of results for determining
the terminating quality of seed; but
the suggested system of classification,
the professor believes, will prevent such
mistakes in future.
The results of the experiments clearly
show that the different races of corn
may have different habits and differ
emily react to the factors of culture;
and there seems possibility that the
crossing of these types is unfavorable
to crops, while crossing within these
types may be favorable. This point is
of great significance, for the professor
has solved one of the problems that has
puzzled farmers since corn has been cul-
tivated. 1t was well-known fact that
corn will ''mix" when different varie-
ties are planted on neighboring fields,
or when together, and farmers have en-
deavored to secure the improvement
of corn by this method. AS corn of
the same type may be crossed favor
ably, it is apparent that a mixture of
dent and flint corns would not be a
judicious one; but an improvement can
be made in crossing any of the dents
together, or any of the fiints with their
own family. The sweet corns, having
been crossed within that variety, have
been made to grow faster, ripen earlier
and produce more abundantly, which
corroborates the statement of Professor
Sturtevant; and the same may be said
of the dent corn in this state, which, by
careful in-breeding, if the term may be
used, has reached a degree of excellence
that permits of but little Improvement.
The tiints, which are grown mostly in
the south, have been adapted especially
to that section; and with the light of
experimental knowledge to classify and
further select, no doubt corn culture
will be practiced in future far more sys-
tematically than heretofore.
Tho uo1l- brad lad hoe IVORY, -four, ,,,;1d