The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-02
Selecting Seed Corn.

60 the Editor of tire indianapolis journal:
The Journal and the readers of this column
will pardon the apparent anachronism of the
title. 1t is subject Of annual interest. but the
discussion is seldom begun until after the spring
planting, and one or two unsuccessful efforts to
get 'stand, when advice and suggestions come
in to add to the distress, because they come in
too late to be useful as correctives. Where ona
failure occurs in consequence of unsuitable soil,
insect ravages, probably two arise by reason
of the farmers failure to attend wisely to the
selection of his seed. The soil may De the
best, the corn planted in the best possible
manner, and all the good done by preparation
and applications be lost by reason of disability
in the germinative principle of the seed. A ma
jority of farmers select their seed in the spring
just before it is needed for planting Others,
more careful. select it from the fields in autumn,
and are equally disappointed in the result, and
are at greater loss to account for the failure of
seed thus carefully selected to terminate In
the latter part of September last | topped some
corn to use the tops for feed Now, | know.
that it affected the acknowledgements of the ears
The ears were matured beyond what is called
roasting, but it was not fully glazed and har-
dened. The lesson which such fact suggests
is that in the case of all annual plants, the nour-
ishment which the seed requires for its perfect
development is stored in the plant and is drawn
from every part of it. This elaborated plant
food agricultural writer's are fond of calling
it, is collected in all parts of the pant-the roots
stalk and leaves, and it is carried in part at
least, and probably in most part, at late period
in the lifetime of the plant, to the seed fruit
The removal of any part of the plant, whether it
be roots, or stem, or leaves, while they are en-
gagged in preparing the juices that are to be car
-red to the seed. must diminish to a correspond
ing degree the amount to be carried to the seed
and to a corresponding degree affect I'M uriously
its germlnative properties. 1t is the habit
of many careful farmers to select their
seed corn from the fields soon after
the ears have passed the roasting
stage and the grains taken a hardened and
glazed appearance. This they do at the sure ex-
pense of the terminating power of the seed If
all the other condCions-warmth, fertility, filth
ARE right, the SEED may grow, and there may be
gain In it's earlier ripening but there is reason
to believe that they will have it to pay for by
loss in the quality and quantity of the yield
| know from actual experiment that potatoes
may be brought up to a high standard of excel
lence: and this attained, care must he taken to
prevent degeneration, which will be found more
rapid than the process of bringing it up. Breed
ing to a type by careful selection are words
freely used by stock breeders, and they suggest
the means by which the potatoes were brought
up, aud which may be employed with
equal success IN bringing up any
of the products of the farm. Let
the orngrower set apart his best acre for
the raising of seed. Upon it let him plant the
best seed, selected in the fall with reference to
quality and maturity. Let the cultivation be
the best that can be given, whatever the cost.
From the product select for the next years
planting the best ears after they are fully ma
tured. This plan persevered in year after year,
would. it would seem, answer the question
how to get good seed for any of the products of
the farm. When making selection of seed, the
examination should have reference to it's ma
turity and ripeness, and to its perfect develop
ment as to quality J.M.C.
ROB Roy Ind