Morris tribune., 1885-11-04
Fan selection Of seed-oorn.

Prof. G. E. Morrow. Dean of the Col
lege of Agriculture, University OF llli-
nois, in a communication relating to
the selection of seed-corn says:
The early fall is the best time in
which to make this selection, because
corn then selected can be so kept as to
insure its vitality when used for seed,
and also because selection at this time
better enables the farmer to improve
his corn by the choice of that which
possesses the greatest number of good
qualities. Trials of many varieties on
the university farms, from different
parts of Illinois and other States, have
shown me that very many localities
have varieties of great merit; often bet
ter adapted to their soil and climate
than would be almost any variety
brought from other regions. While l
would encourage the trial of promising
new varieties and experimenting in
crossing, etc., ! count it unwise to
abandon the cultivation of varieties
which have been thoroughly tested and
found satisfactory in any locality.
Selection of seed from the bin, espe-
cially if this be done in the spring, only
gives opportunity for the choice of sat-
isfactory ears. Selection in the field,
in the early autumn, gives opportunity
to determine the comparative earliness
of the chosen ears, and the character
of the stalks on which they were pro-
duced. And in both these respects
great differences will be found in corn
of the same variety, even when grow.
ino in the same hill.
Among undesirable qualities for any
northern region may be named Excess
siye sizes of stalk. in height or thick
ness, or the opposite extremes; the
habit of bearing the ears very high up,
on long or very thick "shanks y; cobs
of great thickness, or with marked diff
ferences in thickness at butt and tip;
shallow kernels, and failure to ''till OUT
well at the ends of the ears. Others OF
Importance might be named, 1t will
be seen that there is much better OPP
pOrtunity of getting what we want, as
to some of those named, by selection
in the field than at any other time, and
of some no judgment could be formed
at any other time.
MY own belief is that with the dent
varieties, almost universally grown in
the West, we have stalk, leaf, and root
enough to produce more than one good
ear OF corn, and that, ii we persistently
selected with reference TO the produc-
ton of, say, two ears, instead of con-
stantly selecting in practice from stalks
producing but one ear, we would
make decided gain. Whether this be
true or not, there are abundant reasons
for early selection and from the field.
There is no necessity that corn de-
sired for seed should fully mature on
the stalk. Experiments have shown
apparently. strong vitality in kernels
which were shriveled up from the ears
having been plucked long before matur-
ity. Iwould not advise this practice,
but there can be no objection to pluck
ing seed-corn some weeks before it
would do to put in the crib. The es-
sentials in treatment of the corn seem
to be that both kernels and cob shall
become pretty thoroughly dry before
there is severe freezing. Fire heat
may be used to secure this, but is US
ually not essential. The old plan of
tracing up the ears, pair by pair, by the
husks, and hanging them up in
warm, dry room, will almost certainly
give good results. l like better the use
of the cork-screw wire, put in the butt
of each car and slipped over a vertical