The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-01-07
AgriCu re.
MN aTTD TEF rot ZION OF THE
CROP.

At the present time there is q
great amount of discussion among
farmers generally relating to the
question of the merit and vitality OF
the supply of seed corn requisite tor
the 1902 corn crop. Naturans5s
agree that throughout the entire
vegetable kingdom the quality and
vitality of the seeds largely bounds
the possibilities of grain production.
In other words the seed is the origi
nal superstruoture of crop produo-
ton. A stalk of corn is merely the
germ of a grain of corn unfolded by
natures processes.
AS good seed corn (good both in
breeding and Vitality is without
question, by far the most important
plank in the preparatory foundation
for a good corn crop, it naturally
follows that good seed is the most
important question TO be considered
when making preparations for each
crop.
After many years of practical
field experience as a cereal breeder,
the writer has become convinced that
the average annual loss ocCasioned
by poor seed corn throughout the
corn States, is responsible to much
greater degree than most farmers
imagine, for our disgracefully low
average yield, less than 80 bushels
per acre.
LOSS BY UNEVEN STANDS OF CORN.
The wide awake traveller while
passing numerous fields of corn
throughout the great corn belt of
the central North, is very forcibly
impressed with the greatly decreased
yield of corn which farmers annually
sustain by securing stands in part
too thick and in part too thin, due
TO an imperfect understanding rela-
tive TO the vigor and vitality of their
seed corn. According 80 the writer's
observation and experience, the most
fruitful cause of the annual supply
of poor seed corn in some portions,
or in many portions of the country,
throughout the great corn belt, is
the inherent organic weakness OF the
germ of the kernel, due to a great
degree to -degeneracy.
The kernels of q degenerate vari-
ETY. of corn (other cereals as we1D
naturally have weak germs and are
in condition TO become easily affected
by extremes of wea sher and soil, both
before and after planting. Other
very active causes Of low germinat
ing power in seed corn, is a mistaken
idea of many farmers, that large
cared, large growing sorts of corn
are the largest grain yielders. While
in fact, the Illinois Agricultural Ex.
pertinent Station, after exhaustive
variety tests covering many years,
has proved that the largest average
yield of merchanta bic shelled corn
per acre is produced by medium
sized, early maturing corn. Aud
the writer will add that this is also
his experience in the corn field.
DANGER OF POOR SEED THIS YEAR.
All fields of corn which during the
severely hot weather of the past
summer, had their tassels and silks
badly sunburned, denote that d lar ge
per cent. of the individual stalks in
such fields, owing to the continued
absence of we'll directed breeding
pressure during past ye ars, have a
greatly lessened degree of constitu
tional vigor. By reason of suoh con-
ditions they are untitled to produce
satisfactory yields, even during e. 9
most favorable years. II your crop
of corn during the year 1901 had a
large per cent. of barren stalks in it
then, as fully 40 per cent. of ali the
pollen which shared in pollenlzIng ,
even the best ears, was barren pollen,
it naturally follows that through
the sheer force of heredity, there
will also be an unusually large per
cent. of barren stalks in all 1902
fields planted with suoh seed. If
your 1901 corn crop was badly
afflicted with barrenness, is denotes
that the variety of corn you have
been growing is far along in the path
Of degeneracy. In suoh case it will
be greatly TO your advantage in dol
lars and cents, as concerned in the
yield ofyour 1902 corn crop, to change
your seed corn, by securing seed
which has been grown under differ
ent climatic and soil conditions, aud