The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-05-05
GROWING SEED CORN.
How to Insure Improvement in the Yis
and Quality of the Crops.

How to Insure improvement in the Yield
and Quality of the Crops.
Would it not be q good plan for each
farmer to select from the seed corn to
be grown the coming season the very
best and prepare in the best manner a
sufficient portion of the best ground to
grow seed for the succeeding seasons
,eropP Plow this portion extra Deep
making narrow burrows so as to break
up the soil and make it fine; harrow
sufficiently to put it in the best possible
condition, then plant in rows of the
usual distance apart, making the hills
three to three and half feet apart, and
allow but one stalk to grow in place.
This will give sufficient room to each
stalk TO make the best growth; the ears
on such stalks will attain the greatest
amount Of vitality for seed purposes.
In this way the corn plant may be
greatly improved from year to year,
and the seed will produce an increased
yield Of crop each season.
These wide spaces between the stalks
will admit the suns heat and light and
will afford best facilities for the deposit
of plant food by the air-the great
reservoir of fertility" If the ground
has been plowed deep and well pre-
pared before planting and the cultiva-
ton is begun as soon rs the plant can
be seen, and continued at least once
each week until the grains of the ears
begin to harden, the greatest possible
amount Of plant food will be secured
for the use of the crop both from the
surrounding atmosphere and from
great depths in the earth, while the
needed moisture will in this way be
kept up so that in either a wet season
CT during protractcd thoughts, the
most favorable conditions are supplied
for the most perfect growth and devel-
opment of the plants and the seeds
borne by them.
For large growing varieties four feet
apart both ways would most likely give
the best results for seed purposes,
Varieties that grow u small stalk may
be grown three or four feet apart. The
main thing is to give ample room to
each stalk to make the best growth and
yet be close enough to each other to
favor fertilization. The greatest dis
tance between stalks, and not interfere
with perfect fertilization, is desirable.
Certainly no objection can be offered
against growing seed in such n way as
to afford the best facilities for making
the best growth. BY giving wide spaces
the tendency to make heavy low stalk
will be much favored, aud such stalks
are much to be preferred to those that
grow tall and spindling.
Farmers would do well to give greater
care to the production of good seed for
all crops. The influence of seed over
the general yield and quality of crops
has, very much to do in deciding wheth-
er the crop shall be failure in part or
whether it shall be such as to cOmpen-
safe for all the labor and expense in its
production and leave a MARGIN for
profit The ordinary manner of saw
ing seed for small grain crops is not
such rs to secure the best. the practice
being to take seed from the bin where
large amount is stored, and which is
liable to become overheated, or musty.
thus impairing its vitality for seed pur-
poses. Extra care and attention in
growing seeds of email grain crops
would insure better yields and would
result in continued Improvement each
season both in yield and quality. e.
s. IeegdJrtef', IN Ohio farmer.