Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-09-26
SEED CORN FArllNE.
University Experiment. Station Gives
Pointers on Seed Corn.


the need Of prompt attention this fall
to saving seed corn to plant or sell
next spring. The cold, moist season
of 1902 caused the corn crop OF Min
nesota and surrounding states to ma
ture so late that much of it was serl-
ously injured by frost before it was
ripe. The cold wet fall made it diff
cult to properly cure seed corn nnder
any circumstances. Even the ears
selected and saved for st Ell before the
crop was harvested we're not in all
cases so cured that a very large per-
centage would terminate. Much OF
it would not grow, or only small
part of it ~, uld germinate and that
with weak vitality. Farmers who de-
pended upon selecting seed tr N
the crib or flom shocks left out
turnout the winter found that their
seed would not grow. Some OF the
seed planted last spring was weak
and either rotted in the ground, or
did not come forward with its full
yigor. Seed dealers even where unu-
s,sal precautions were taken to store
their seed, lost portions OF their
stocks. The general shortage of seed
corn led to the Importation OF seed
from southwark and many of the var
ieties thus supplied to farmers would
not ripen in an average year, and the
present season having been unusually
wet and cold, they are riPening too
late to produce grain. On the whole,
the growing tendency to plant
larger acreage to corn was seriously
checked by the scarcity OF seed.
Those farmers who saved and prop
erly dried seed corn of suitable vari-
cites had no trouble in securing a
good stand this year and readily dis
posed of any surplus they may have
had. Corn is a semi-tropical plant
and will not terminate, but will rot
in cold, wet soils, or if planted too
early in the spring, The growing
season is short in Minnesota for ma
turirg corn. This makes it necessary
to give it a good start when planted.
Hence the need of extra precautions
in saving and drying the seed,
that severe cold and changeable
weather during the winter may not
iniure the germinatiye power.
The season of 1903 has been even
more adverse than that of 1902 and
the corn crop is very backward. TIE
drying season will be very short if
not also very moist, making the cur
ing of seed corn again very difficult
matter. Frosts will in all probability
kill a great deal of corn this fal be-
fore it is ripe enough for seed. Iris
makes the chances much in favor ola
very limited supply of seed com for
next years planting, and high prices
will surely prevail. The superiority
of homegrown varieties over those
brought in from farther south can
hardly be overestiminted. The past
season has demonstrated this SC
thoroly that in years TO come
homegrown seed corn will be at a
premium. The selection of ears is a
very simple matter, yet it is very i'm
portant in saving seed corn.
In some cases the best method of
selecting seed ears will be to go
through the field with basket or bag
and snap off the large ears. These
can be carried to the edge of the field
and drawn to the barns. The ears
should Tot lay in piles, for they soon
become heated and the germs are
thus weakened or destroyed. They
NAV be husked so as to leave several
husks on the shank Of the ear. Such
ears may be tied or braided together
and hung in a room where air can
freely circulate, or possibly where the
sun will help to dry them out. An
other good place to hang them is ov-
or he kitchen stove, or in room or
attic thru which the heat from
the kitchen stove passes either
thru the stove pipe or an opening
in the floor above the stove Where
there is large floor space available,
the seed ears may be spread out thin
" on the floor. They should he ex-
amined and stirred as often as neces
sary to keep them dry. If the corn is
cut with corn binder when the ker
nels are we'll glazed. there is little