The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-05
FARM AND
GARDEN ~
INTERESTS

SoEn Drec0in8s
Kansas City Journal
Improved seed may be obtained by buy
ing ii of reliable seed growers. But after
the first year the farmer should select his
seed from his own crop unless some special
calamity has happened TO it to make the
seed undesirable. Seed selected from a
crop on the farm will have the advantage
Of similar environment year after year;
the soil, climate and method of treatment
will be about the same, and then the
farmer has the opportunity to adapt the
type and quality to his special needs and
uses.
First a type must be established. If the
cornfield is made up of Informed plants.
twisted. crooked. spindling, dwarfed. abb
normally large, little tendency to produce
ears to leaf-growth, the farmer cannot
expect to get large yield of grain, for
the seed from such field will be subject
to similar abnormal growth and poor
development. The quantity of the srain
depends upon the plant that bears it, and
the plant which has fortified it. Seed
plants should be strong and vigorous, with
an erect, symmetrical and well-developed
stalk, tapering regularly from the base to
the tassel; with well-developed leaves uni
| formly set on the stalk, and no appear
ance of dwarfed or stunted ears at the va
| rious nodes. but with one well-developed
ear, and this borne at medium height
above the ground. 1t is not advisable 10 Sc
| lect seed from large abnormal plants. nor
to select the abnormally large ears to plant.
| The result OF that kind OF selection Will be
| to develop a tendency to produce plants
that the soil will not be strong enough
to bring to maturity. and the grain will
suffer In consequence
| In field or breeding plot there are al
| ways abnormally small and abnormally
large plants, but the actual adaptation Of
the crop and soil is measured by the aver
age and not by the extremes.
When everything has been done to secure
| perfect stand. there may yet be rela-
| lively small number of ears in the field on
account of the barren stalks. Many stalks
| that come from the best selected kernels
may not bear ears. Therefore it is neces-
| tassel the barren stalks in the breeding field
| in order that they may not pass their bar
repness along through the ears which their
10 breed up his own seed must have a
breeding field at least a quarterof a mile
| from other corn. This field must be kept
| i'm a good state of cultivation; the barren
stalks must be detasseled as soon as their
| tassels appear, and further selection may
be made by detasseling other than barren
! the crop is made. there should be a seiec-
4 ton of seed ears by measurements and
| other tests, not only with an eye to the
ears themselves, out also the plants winch
produced them. Then by selecting the best
| kernels from the best ears for use in the
| breeding field another year the farmer can
| soon breed up a corn perfectly adapted to
| his surroundings.
| 1t used to be the idea, in selecting seed
| corn that big ear with large kernels was
| the nearest to perfection. Mr.. Tucker re-
cites some experiments at his station which
| go to prove that big ear may be the least
| desirable. He says:
| Seed of variety which has been grown
| on rich soil for a number of years has ac-
quired the habit of using large quantities
| of plant food and of developing large plants
| and large ears out Of this food. If seed of
| this corn is planted on thin soil it will ex-
| haust the food supply in its effort to build
| large plant for the large ear which 1t is in
| the habit of forming, and the result is a
| crop giving a large yield of fodder and lit
| tie grain. The reverse is also true, and
seed from thin soil will reach the capacity
! OF its growth long before II mas exhausted
the soil. and the result will be a smaller
yield than the soil is capable of producing"
| We have published this much of the bull
| letin, not with the idea of conveying to Mis-
| souri, farmers accurate and scientific
knowledge of corn breeding, but with the
! hope that they may become interested and
| catch up with the procession of improved
| agriculture which is marching through the
! States around them.