The morning news., 1897-08-16
Growing Corn for seed.

The usual way of selecting seed corn is
to choose the ears at harvest that have
been grown on stalks bearing at east two
ears, and those preferred that are near
est the ground says a contemporary. If
carefully followed it will gradually i'm
prove the yield. Yet as even in the best
corn there are some unproductive stalks,
it is plain that in even the best crop of
this grain the yield might be increased if
care was taken while the corn was grow
ing to weed out the barren stalks. The
effect of this would be only trifling at first.
1t is not probable that the barren stalks
so rob the soil as to seriously diminish
the yield of the stalks that bear ears. 1t
is the after results that are most impor-
tant. Like breeds like. 1t is the constant
fertilization of the silk of bearing stalks
from the pollen of stalks that are barren,
that perpetuates the tendency in a part
of the grain thus produced to grow stalks
that are also barren. If we can get rid of
the stalks that are apparently unlikely to
produce even one ear before they have dis
tributed their pollen, all the grain will
then be fertilized from bearing stalks, and
will thus perpetuate from both sides the
tendency to prolihcacy.
1t is now the season when corn begins
to tassel and form silk. AS the pollen dust
touches the lines of six each one closes
around it and bears it down to the ear,
where the grain of corn is formed. While
the corn is in the green state it is very
easy to trace the silken threads to the
grain with which they are connected. But
as the corn attains full size threads are
generally severed. The drying of the grain
in ripening withers the threads and most
of them drop their connection with the
grain as no longer needed by it, The
stalks that do not bear ears are usually
later in getting into tassel, and are often
the suckers from bearing stalks. So when
the object is only to get the greatest
amount of grain and fodder it may be
better to let them grow. But for growing
corn for seed we believe they have a ten
dency to decrease its prolifcacy.
There is some choice in the grains of
corn on the ear. on a well-filled ear at
both the tip and butt the grains will be
rounded and full which is the natural
shape of the corn grain when ii has room
10 expand. The grains between have been
so crowded for room that none of them
have had a good chance to develop. They
will not make so strong and vigorous
plants as grains from the tips or butts
that have had full room to grow as they
naturally will Yet we have known many
farmers who always break off the tip
end of ears, even though they be filed
with better grain for seed than there is
in the middle. Some farmers also break
off the butts. The time is coming we be-
lieve when these parts OF the ear that
have been rejected will be just the ones
that the farmers will prefer to plant OF
course we do not mean to recommend us
ing the small, imperfect grains. little more
than chaf, which often tip out the ends
OF corn ears when the season is either
too dry or too wet. and the ear fails to
fill to the end.
Well grown grain from grain selected
from the best developed grains on tip or
butt of ears, and grown on stalks that
produced two or more large ears, and
with all barren stalks early removed from
the field, ought to and we believe Will in
crease the yield of every corn crop where
such grain is used for seed. 1t would nee
essarily cost more per bushel to prepare
such corn seed. But if ii yielded only
per cent. increase on the crop as ordi-
narily grown a farmer might better afford
to pay several dollars a bushel for such
seed than not to use il. If we can thus
secure in the main crop the habit of
generally bearing two ears instead of
one or none, the Increase in the aggre-
gate corn crop Of the whole country would
be enormous. So, too, will be the gain IL
we can secure even the slightest increase
in size of the grains of corn, or secure
the filling out Of the millions of acres of
corn whose ears have an inch or more of
chaff at their tips, where II properly
grown and fertilized the plumpest and
best grains should be. In every way the
subject can be looked at, the advantage
from improving the average Of seed-corn
grain becomes apparent. 1t needs four to
five quarts of grain to plant an acre. A
very small patch, planted and cultivated
in the vest way to grow perfect seed corn,
can be grown by any farmer, and If corn
be his main crop this attention 20 the
means for securing the best seed grain
will probably pay better than any other
use TO which the land can be put. Il will
require thought and skin to produce the
best seed corn. but there Is nothing that
will pay better.