The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-05-19
THE FARM AND HOME
q VALUABLE METHOD FOR IN.
PROVING SEED.
something About the Time to Water AMI
mals--Surface Roots Composing
Manurc-Swine Notes and
Home Hints.
How to Improve Seed.

An Indiana farmer writing for the
Grange Judd Farmer gives valuable
method. not generally known for i'm
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 this plot very rich by
the application Of the best fertilizers
suitable 10 the soil; break WE'LL and
nave the land in high state Of till
age; then mark out both ways and Sc.
lect enough uniformly good, typical
ears of some choice varieties of corn
we'll adapted to the locality. Plant
TOUR hills and leave two; then four and
leave two, thus planting two-thirds Of
the 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
ers. Do this with the replants as
we'll as the first planting. BY this
method we get 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
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 fortified first;
then the next grains. and so on up the
ear: and the tip grains send out
their silks or piscils 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 time 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 fortified, thus securing a
perfectly developed ear. AS soon as
the corn is ripe. husl1 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 of
improvement which is inexpensive.
simple and easy, kept up for long
series of years I believe we can very
ilargely breed out the nubbins, suck
ers and smut, and have a corn which
IS far more prolific and beautiful, and
that will command a higher price than
the common scrub corn. In selecting
corn to begin the improvement
would recommend corn that is
adapted to the locality; a 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 the
cob is small it dries out quickly and
the germ is sweet and sound.