The advocate., 1897-08-11
For the Farmer.
Growing Corn for Seed.

nave U66u BIOWu uu hlHlhD DNoAAA5 ~
least two ears, and those preferred that
are nearest the ground. II carefully fol-
lowed, It will gradually improve the
Weld. Yet as even in the best corn
there are some unpToductiVe stalks, 1t
Is plain that in even the best crop of
this grain the yield might be increased
IL care was taken while the corn was
growing to weed out the barren stalks.
The effect of this would be only triiing
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 important. Like
breeds like II is the constant fertili-
zatiOn of the silk of bearing stalks from
the pollen of the stalks that are barren,
that perpetuates the tendency in part
of the grain thus produced to grow
stalks that are also barren. If we can
Ger rid of the stalks that are apparently
unlikely to produce even one ear be-
fore they have distributed their pole /,
all the grain will then be fertllized
from bearing stalks, and will thus per-
petuate from both sides the tendency
to prolificacy.
AS the pollen dust touches the lines
Of silk each one closes around it and
bears 1t 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 these
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 get
ting into tassel, and are often the suck
ers 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 grow
ing corn for seed we believe they have
q tendency to decrease its proliflcacy.
II this subject were understood, few
farmers might make a profitable busi-
ness for themselves and do the public
a service by growing corn to be espe-
Cially adopted for seed. 1t should not
be planted thickly, putting the hills
three and half feet apart, and plant
ing not over three stalks in hill. The
CrOwding of corn where there are five
or six stalks in a hill Is sure to prevent
some of them from bearing, and re-
duce the number and size Of ears of
those that do bear. Grain from long,
straight ears with small or mod
erate-slzed butts should be used. The
heavy-butted corn may have most grain
on the ear but it is much harder work
on the hands to husk such corn, and
when selecting ears for seed we always
rejected such as were likely to perpetu
ate their kind. When the ear begins
to knot at it's butt we have thought 1t
the beginning Of tendency to degen-
crate and become nubbin.
There is some choice in the grains
of corn on the ear. On a well-hlled
ear at both the tip and butt the grains
will be rounded and full, which is the
natural shape Of the corn grain when
it has room to expand. 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.
Well-grown grain from grain selected
from the best developed grains on tip
or butts of ears, and grown on stalks
that produced two or more large ears,
and with all barren stalks early re-
moved from the field, ought to and we
believe will increase the yield of every
corn crop where such grain is used
for seed 1t would necessarily cost
more per bushel to prepare such corn
seed. But if it yielded only 2 per cent.
increase on the crop as ordinarily
grown, a farmer might better afford