The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-05-12
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IMPROVEMENT OF SEED CORN.
Methods for Securing the Best Re-
suits in This Line,

Methods for Securing the Best re.
suits in This Line.
In a recent issue of the Indiana
Farmer Mr.. James Haslet has an arti-
Gle which is without doubt full of very
excellent ideas in regard to the i'm
portance of improving seed corn.
Improvement ought to be the ''order
of the day. with every farmer. These
are times Of great progress every
thing is on the onward march," and
If farmers expect to keep up with the
procession they must be "up and
doing" or they will be left behind in
&he race. But want to add some sug
gestions On the. line of seed corn i'm
prov ement.
Mr.. HaSEet says that 400 ears
weighed In January six bushels even.
Well, that is very good indeed! but
suppose 400 ears should weigh ten
bushels, would not that be a great
deal better2 That would make just
four bushels more than Mr.. Haslet's
corn made and yet his was very good.
Ears have been produced right here in
Boone county, Iowa, fifty miles north
have weighed over two pounds each,
and it would only take thirty-four two
pound ears to make a bushel of Shelled
corn, and forty ears having one and
One-half pounds of shelled corn would
make a bushel and four pounds of
ghened corn.
1t is affirmed right here and now,
without the fear of contradiction, that
corn can readily be developed SO that
forty seed ears will shell one bushel,
while the estimate is that 100 good
average ears make a bushel Large
and early ears can as easily be grown
as small ones. And now as to how to
do it.
First-Select the best portion of
ground large enough to grow a few
bushels for seed.
Second-Select the very best seed OBJ
tainable, all large and fine ears, the
larger the better, provided they will
mature in the latitude.
Third-PloW the ground twelve to
sixteen inches deep, making narrow
burrows, so as to bring up the soil and
fine it. Put on an abundance of ma
nure, or use the best commercial fer
tilizers. Harrow the ground until fine,
and well compacted. The soil ought
to be pretty nearly as well packed as
before blowing.
Fourth-Plant this best seed in rows
three feet eight inches or four feet
apart, and if hills two CT two and one
half feet, and if the seed is good only
one grain in a place; thin out to one
stalk in hill.
All of these items are of the greatest
Importance; but none are more import
ant than growing but one stalk IN
hill. Does not everything go to show
that one stalk in hill will do better
than if two stalks are grown together!
Suppose you have but one stalk of
corn, and one of the largest weeds, say
a Sunflower, growing in the hill with
the stalk of corn, can you expect as
good a stalk Of corn as you would get
if no sunt1ower grew by the side OF 1t!
Surely not. l have grown seed corn
this way for several years, and the I'M
provement has been striking and I'M
pOrtant. Ears have been weighed that
went over two pounds each, the heaV-
lest have been two pounds and three
ounces, and a great Improvement is
made in the size and depth of the
grain. Large grains are more pronta-
bic than small ones.
The ideal ear of corn is large one
with large and deep grains.
There is an Everlasting" sight OF
"monkeying' about the ideal ear of
corn. The best ideal it can have is the
very largest ears, with large grains
e. S. Teagarden in Indiana Farmer.