The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-05-13

The following paragraphs con
corning corn are taken from an
article in May Cosmopolitan, writ
ten 10y \. d. Shamel, superinten-
dent of the Illinois experiment sta
tion.
Corn breeding is a modification
of live stock breeding, and'follows
the same general laws and prInci-
pies. 1t is the application of prin-
ciplcs of plant and animal breed
ing to the corn plant. The per
cent of sugar in the sugarbeet
has been increased from three
per cent. to sixteen per cent. The
ordinary beet was improved by
seed selection, so thatan enormous
industry has been built up and a
new source Of sugar given to the
world. This has been done with
plant which seeds once in two
years. Corn produces a crop ev-
cry year, a single seed producing
a return Of over d thousand fold.
From this great number of Off
spring, varying in size, shape,
color and composition, a selection
can be made which will develop
any feature of the seed or plant.
BY continued selection, these val
liable attributes can be fixed ia
the characteristic of the plant,
aud the usefulness and import.
auce Of the crop increased. TO
illustrate the point We have
been able by selecting ears hav-
ing long shanks, TO increase the
length of the shank nearly two
feet in five years selection. by
selecting ears with tall stalks,
we have been able to increase the
height OF the stalk almost three
feet in five years. BY selecting
ears from plants having wide
leaves we have been able to in
crease the average width of the
leaf, and by selecting ears from
stalks having narrow leaves, we
have been able to decrease the
width Of the leaf.
CORN-BREEDING FIELDS.
In breeding corn, a small field
Casually au acre in siZe) is used.
The land Is prepared and the seed
bed treated as for the ordinary
field. They are usually about one
hundred and twenty hills long
and thirty rows wide. Each row
is planted from a separate ear
The barren stalks, poor stalks
and all undesirable stalks, such
as suckers, are removed before
the tassel appears. The field is
protected or isolated, so that no
mixture can take place from other
varieties or from any source. In
the fall these rows are husked
separately, and the seed from the
next years crop is selected from
the rows giving the,b highest yields
per acre, Of best composition,
with the least barren stalks, and
of the best type. In this way, the
yield per acre of the variety is in
creased, the quality improved
and type preserved and develop
ed. BY this plan, we are able to
give personal attention and direct
selection to the individual stalk
and ear, which would be impossi
BILE in a large field.
MARVELS OF CORN CULTURE.
Thousands of practical in
stances could be given to show
the value Of improved varieties ot
corn. For instance, one Southern
Illinois farmer, more progressive
then the rest, was induced TO Sc
cure enough improved seed Il
plant three hundred acres as re
suit OF his study of corn in TN,
Illinois college Of agriculture. -
These three hundred acres out
yielded all Of the other fields ol
his farm more than thirty bushel
per acre; and, so far as could b
determined, the fields Of that sec
tion yielded about thirty bushel
per acre. This increase in yiel