The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-09-11
SEED-CORN, 4.
The Fall Selection of Seed-How to In
sure Vitality,

The Fall Selection of Seed-How to In
sure Vitality.
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 posses.
ses the greatest number of good quail.
ties. Trials of many varieties on the
university farms, from different parts 81
Illinois and other States, have shown
me that very many localities have va.
rieties of great merit; often better
adapted to their soil and climate than
would be almost any variety brought
from other regions. While l would en-
courage the trial of promising new va
rieties 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 oil
the stalks on which they were produced.
And in both these respects great differ
ences will be found in corn of the same
variety, even when growing in the same
hill.
Among undesirable qualities for any
northern region may be named excess
i've sizes of stalk, in height or thickness,
or the opposite extremes; The habit OF
bearing the ears very high up, on long
or very thick "shanks;" cobs of great
thickness, or with marked differences in
thickness at butt and tip; shallow ker-
nels and failure TO 'slill OUT we'll at the
ends of the ears. Others of importance
might be named. 1t will be seen that
there is o much better opportunity 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 if 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
the field.
There is no necessity that corn de-
sired for seed should fully mature on
the stalk. Experiments have shown APP
parently strong vitality in kernels which
were shriveled up from the ears having
been plucked long before maturity. ]
would not advise this practice, but
there can be no objection to plucking
seed-corn some weeks before it would
do to put in the crib. The essentials in
treatment of the corn seem to be that
both kernels and cob shall become pref
ty thoroughly dry before there is severe
freezing. Fire heat may be used to Sc
cure this, but it is usually not essential.
The old plan of tracing up the ears,
pair by pair, by the husks, and hang
ing them up in warm. dry room. will
almost certainly give good results. /
like better the use of the cork-screw
wire, put in the butt of each ear an d
slipped over vertical wire.-Prof G.
e. MorroW.