The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-30
Selecting Seed Corn for a Standard.


Selecting Seed Corn for a Standard.
w. F...Brown. in Country Gentleman.
am not intending to write about saving and
thoroughly curing seed corn in the fall, although
we have ample proof every few years Of the vital
importance of it, and also that many, perhaps a
| majority. of farmers fail to do it, What / wish
to call especial attention to are the points which
Iconsider Of greatest Importance in a variety,
and the certainty with which any point may be
established by careful selection. Several
things have called my attention to this subject
at this time. During the cold weather about
Thanksgiving time we pulled nifty bushels OF
corn and brought it to the barn, and In husking
it l told my work hand if he found any nice seed
/ ears to pass them over to me. He handed over
number, every one OF which | rejected. and, as
he seemed to shink me hard to please, l was at
considerable pains to show him why his selection
did not suit me. He seemed to be looking for
big ears only, while | looked for small cob.
deep kernel, and an ear we'll developed at
butt and point, which does not taper,
but carries its size throughout, with rows regu-
lar and straight. Then in order to convince him,
l shelled several ears and weighed cob and
shelled corn separately, and showed MIN that
| seventy pounds of ears of my selection would
shell from sixty to sixty-one pounds of corn; and
as the corn tested was direct from the field, and
had not been cured at all, this was a remarkably
good showing. The ears selected by my work
hand having a large cob. had not cured out so
we'll, and gave forth four to FIVE pounds more of
cob to the bushel than that which l had selected.
] have just weighed and measured a guam
THY of my selected seed, and find an average
length of ear of 81 inches, and an average
weight of II ounces. I could easily have Sc
lected corn that would average 10 inches in
length of ear, and perhaps IA ounces in weight,
but l prefer this type, as it is early TO mature
and will yield a large crop. The usual distance
of planting hill corn with us is 3 feet 9 inches.
and this gives {, 111 hills to the acre. and, with
three stalks to the hill. 9, 1893 stnlks. If we can
| grow a twelve-ounce ear to each stalk-which is
quite within the bounds of possibility-it will
give us 7, 600 pounds OF ear corn, or 100 bushels
to the acre at 20 pounds to the bushel, and then
if we gain 9 pounds of shelled corn on each bush
ell by reducing the cob to 10 pounds, it brings US
up TO 10 bushels of shelled corn to the acre.
Nearly every farmer when he looks at my
seed corn remarks that the ears are small; but
weighing and comparing cob and shelled corn
with the larger-cobbed varieties rarely fails TO
convince him that the ears are large enough to
produce a very heavy yield. The corn grown
from this selected seed is quite uniform in size
and quality, and | think is improving every year.
lido not usually get more than from twenty five
to forty ears for seed from a load of forty bushels,
and quite a per cent. of these l shall reject at
a second inspection after the corn is cured.
Three years ago, a member of our farmers club
brought a magnificent-looking ear or corn to the
club and made me a present of it. lido not re-
member now the weight of the cob, but after
being kept in a warm room all winter, it shelled
over a pound of corn. l planted 1t on excellent
land, where it could not mix with other corn,
and gave 1t careful cultivation, expecting to get
ten bushels of extra fine seed corn; but when |
came to husk 1t, it was the worst lot of corn l
had grown for ten years, and | did not cave a
grain of it.
/ took a load of my corn to the mill yester-
day, and the miller told me that he found a diff
ference of seven pounds to the bushel in the
yield of sbelled corn. and strongly commended
| the small-cob varieties. The farmer who grows
the small-cob corn will rarely be troubled to
have good seed, as it rlpens early and the germ
is rarely killed by excessive cold as is that
| grown on o large cob which holds moisture for
a long time. There have been seasons when
but little corn could be found which would
grow in my locality, but / could take corn from
my crib, without selecting. that would grow
vigorously. There is a largee class of farmers
who are always ready to send off for a new
variety of corn which is advertised as superior;
and they are usually disappointed with the
result | have been selecting and breeding
| different varieties Of corn for many years, and
have found that patience and perseverance, will
enable one to fx almost any type or quality he
may desire.
My advice to farmers is not to buy seed corn
unless their variety is very inferior, but to select
the very best of their own and breed for a stand
ard. If You follow it ND patiently for FIVE years
or more you will have the satisfaction of gaining
the result you seek. My experience leads me
to believe that by careful attention to the selec.
ton of seed 90 per cent can be added to
the yield OF the corn crop, and the cost is
merely nominal. I have neighbors who think
that smoking their seed-corn vitalizes it, SO that
1T starts with greater vigor, and my experience
in smoking seed is favorable. / wish many of
your readers would test it the coming spring.
FIX up a rack In the smoke-house, and lay up a
dozen ears or more; smoke them as you smoke
your meat. and then plant beside the other corn,
and SEQ if you can observe any difference. 1t
is an easy experiment to try, and there may be
something it it.
Do not understand from this article that I
claim that [ am growing one hundred bushels of
corn to the acre. never did it on a feld-pos-
sibly have on a selected acre-but l am sure it
IS In the bounds of possibility, and that the
farmer who succeeds in doing it must have a
good type of carefully bred seed as one important
factor in the crop.