The Forrest City times., 1892-05-27
THE FARM AND HOME.
VALUABLE METHOD FOR IM-
 PROVING SEED.
Something About the Time to Water Ani mals-Surface Roots-Composting Manure-swine Notes and
 Home Hints.
How to Improve Seed.


 An Indiana farmer writing for the Orange Judd Farmer. gives valuable method. not generally known for inn proving seed:
 Select a small plot of one-fourth to one-half of an acre. entirely away from where any other corn will be planted; make tn s plot very rich by the application Of the best fertilizers suitable to the soil; break well. and have the land in high state of till age: then mark out both ways and se- lect enough uniformly good, typical ears of some choice varieties of corn we'll adapted to the locality. Plant four hills and leave two; then four and leave two, thus planting two-thirds of tae plot. Wait until the first planting just begins to come through the ground; then plant one of the two hills left; wait until these begin 10 come through and then plant the remaining hills The object of this method of planting is to distribute the replants all over the plot; cultivate we'll and as soon as the tassels begin to appear go through and cut out all imperfect and diseased stalks; all stalks that show any signs of smut on stalk or blade and all that show suck CTS. Do this with the replants as we'll as tho first planting. By this method we get a pedigreed corn viz. |: we know to a certainty that every ear has been fertilized by healthy produc- tive pollen The object of the second and third planting is to keep up a supply of fresh pollen to insure com plete fertilization of all the grains on each ear. The first silks which ap- pear are the pistils from the base grains These become fertilized first then the next grains and SO on up the ear and the tip grains send out their silks or pisils last several days after the first grains were fertilized. No doubt many have observed the outer silks dead and dried up while the center silks are still green. These are the pistils from the tip grains; if the plot had all been planted at the same tune the pollen from the tassels would mostly have blown away and pistils from the tip grains be left unfertilized; the result would \ be no grains on the tip of the cob; but the second and third plant ings coming out later. keep up supply of pollen till all the grains are fertilized. thus securing a perfectly developed ear As soon as the corn is ripe. husk and select the best ears for planting the fields, and a few of the very best ears to plant the small plot again. By this system oi improvement which is inexpensive simple and easy. kept up for long series of years 1 believe we can very largely breed out the nubbins. suck CTS and smut and have corn which IS far more prolific and beautiful. and that will command ahigher price than the common scrub corn. In selecting corn to begin the improvement l would recommend corn that Is adapted to the locality; variety that | will be sure to mature in an ordinary year, and kind that will produce the largest amount Of shelled corn to the cob A large cobbed ear should be avoided as a large cob contains so much moisture that it will not dry out in autumn, and when bulked in the crib the cob will mold and sour the germ and thIs will detract from both the seeding and feeding value of the corn The germ is the most nutri- tious portion of the grain. If tho cob is small it dries out quickly ant the germ is sweet and sound.