Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-18
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ulent practice of INSCRIPTIONS seeds.
men, who often purchase entire field!
or cribs of corn and shell it and shiI
it without care for selection or rea
merit.
Seed corn handled in this manner is
of inferior type and quality, often lacks
vitality, and must necessarily give 6
poor stand and a low yield.
Seed Corn Tested.
Again, when seed corn is received in
the ear, two or three kernels from each
ear should be removed and tested
Those which show poor terminating
qualities can be rejected On the 9th
er hand, if shelled corn is purchased
the kernels from the ears of low vitali-
ty or terminating power are mixed
ed. The result must necessarily be a
poor stand and a reduced yield.
Experiments show that all the kerr
nels from an ear possess approximately
the same degree of vigor, and therefore
the vitality of an ear can generally be
determined by testing a few of it's kerr
nels.
If every purchaser in Iowa will de-
cline to receive any seed corn except in
the ear the most important step tend
ing toward the improvement of seed
corn will have been taken.
Reliable seedsmen will stand ready to
supply seed corn in the ear whenever
the demand is such to warrant it.
Ideal Ears Few in Number.
The purchaser, however, must not
expect too much. Good ears of corn,
those approaching perfection, are few
in number. Seed ears, such as are ex-
hibited at corn shows, are hard to find,
ceive corn from any source which is up
to the standard of show corn.
However, uniformity of shape, size
and color of both ear and kernel, such
uniformity as indicates good breeding
trueness to type, strong vitality and
freedom from mixture should charac-
terize every ear in the shipment
The question of seed corn in Iowa for
the season of 1903 is important, for up
on the type and quality and germinat-
ing power of the seed planted will de-
pend in large measure the stand, yield
and quality of nearly 100000 acres of
corn next year. Too much emphasis
can not be placed upon the fact that
success or failure in corn production is
based very largely upon the seed plant
ed. Iowa now has annually nine and
quarter million acres in corn, an
increase of one bushel of corn per acre
means to Iowa farmers over 100000.
Summary.
Unusual care should be exercised
this year in the drying and storing Of
seed corn, owing to the excessive mois-
ture which it now contains as result
of the early frost.
Seed corn should be purchased in the
ear, as it enables the purchaser to know
exactly what he is buying. If it is not
satisfactory he can return it. In the
case of shelled corn the purchaser is
unable to determine it's purity, uniform
ity and type.
Corn in the ear enables the farmer to
select the choicest seed ears from which
to grow his seed for the next year, and
it also makes it possible to discard any
of the ears which are of low vitality or
which, for any reason, are unfit for
seed.
1t protects the buyer from the meth
DDS of the INSCRIPTIONS dealers who
make practice TO buy indiscriminately
from farmers who have paid no atten-
ton to the selection and breeding of
corn, and advertise it as pure bred seed
corn.
Gc When every purchaser of seed corn
in Iowa declines to receive any corn,
except in the ear, the most important
step tending to the Improvement of the
corn crop of the state will have been
taken.
The farmer who purchases seed corn
in the ear must not expect perfection.
He can feel confident, however, that
the corn which he receives is the best
that the scotsman can send out.