Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-12-04
SAVING SEED CORN.
select 1t from talks Begging the Larg
est Number of Ears. A.-.

Select 1t from talks BeaFing the LaFg-
est Number of Ears
If like PRODUCES like. the selection
of seed from stalks having two or more
ears will result in giving stalks that
will have two or more ears. This will
increase the yield of general crop very
greatly.
A stalk of corn invariably bears a
dormant ear or shook at every Joint
from near the ground up to the ear, and
also has groove at every such ,oint,
and these dormant ears increase in size
and development, and the grooves in
crease in depth from near to the ground
up to the ear. What does this teach?
Is it not an unmistakable indication
that the corn plant was designed and
qualified to bear fully developed ear
at every such joint as referred to? 1t
has already been demonstra ted 10y act
ual experiment that several ears may
be grown on each stalk by judicious
selection of seed and giving best cult
ure and care.
If the seed for the crop is grown with
wide spaces between stalks, one stalk
in a place. and given good care and
culture the tendency to produce several
ears will be increased each season, and
COurSc Is continued 1Or a rev
years only, the habit will be estab-
1ished to grow several ears to the stalk,
and then the crop will be increased two
and threefold.
The top ears, selected for seed. should
have large and deep grains. Large
grains have more corn and less bran, in
proportion, than small grains. Deep
grains may have still greater advan-
tage over shallow grains. OF different
ears of corn there is one-third to one
half difference in length of grain; if
one third then there will be gain of
one-third in the yield of crop, by the
selections OF ears with deep grains.
But if there can not be found sufi-
cient number of stalks having two or
more ears, then the next best selection
that can be made is the largest ears
having deep and large grains. Suppose
that by selection and culture the ears
could be increased in size one ounce
only. This would give an increased
yield of crop at the rate of ten and one
half bushels per acre; if the ears were
increased in size two ounces, this
would give twenty-one bushels increase
in yield of corn; but if the size could be
increased four ounces to the ear, and it
can be done, then that would give an
increase of general crop of forty-two
bushels per acre.
The capacity of the corn plant, and
the ability of mother earth" are yet
unknown. The rich stores of fertility
in the surface soil and deep down in
the earth, and in ''that great reservoir
of fertility, the air." have never been
fully called upon by the cultivator, to
yield up their inexhaustible stores.
Shallow cultivation of Soil, that is,
shallow blowing and the want of oc-
casional sub-soil blowing, and careless
and insufficient cultivation of crops and
a neglect to adopt special methods in
producing the seed of all crops, has re-
suited in depletion of soil, meager
yields of all farm crops, and a general
lack in all agricultural results through
out the entire country.
Improvement should be the constant
aim in all agricultural work, and if
this is kept in view great results will
be realized.-E. S. Teagarden, in Farm,
Field and Stockman.