Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-04-17
[written for the Va. CIrrzrn-I

/ n. I'll
To the farmer readers of the CITr.
ZEN: 1t is said that "Cotton is King,
but corn ought to be king, since it is
the most important of all the cereal
crops. No farmer can do without
corn, and if restricted to growing
only one crop. that crop would be
corn.
Because OF its great Importance as
crop great care should be used in
selecting seed. 1t is my purpose for
the benefit Of those farmers who
read the CITIZEN, and who are not
posted on this matter, to give them
my views. and should they prove 3
benefit TO any one | shall be amply
rewarded.
Be it said, however, that am not
unmindful that this article will be
scorned by many of our best and
most experienced farmers, aud doubt.
less tar in advance Of the writer In
matters pertaining to general farm
ing. and, indeed, in corn growing.
When / was boy, I heard my
father tell the hired man, when he
would be sent to the "crib" to select
seed corn: "Be sure to pick the ears
with hard, flinty grains" I thought
then that was the sort which should
be selected for seed, but now / know
it was entirely wrong.
Corn, it seems, more than any of
the cereals, tends to deterioration
and if the smooth, hard, flipty look
ing grain is planted, you have made
selection of low degree of deter
iorsted corn.
Nine years ago i bought q barrel
of corn of one of my neighbors from
which ! selected seed for that year.
| made it a point to pick the ears
having the rough. dented grains, the
meanwhile using my pocket knife
with which ] picked a grain from
the center of every ear in order to
find the deepest grain.
When / gathered the crop from
this first planting / noticed some
little improvement. The next year /
followed this method, and on gather
ing the crop Of the second year the
Improvement over the corn / bought
two years before was marked.
And so, for nine years / have fol
lowed this plan, taking great pains
to pick for the roughest grain, dis
carding smooth grain, or any grain
approximating to smoothness, at the
same time having an eye to the
deepest grain, until now, have q
grain unexcelled by any in length;
often finding grains measuring
three-quarters of an inch, and she'll
ing 81 and 8 bushels to the barrel
three -four barrels.
After planting the third year, and
about the time of harvesting the
crop, l noticed very much barrenness,
that is, on many stalks there was
no ear. This was an exceedingly
Objectionable feature which / sought
to correct the fourth year. In order
to accomplish this, / selected two
acre lot and planted it, using the
very best seed l could select. When
the corn commenced to tassel went
through the lot, row by row, and
with my pocket knife cut of every
tassel where there was seen no "silk
or any evidence of ear"-and this |
had to do several times, as all of the
tassels do not appear at once. This
l continued to do for three years,
selecting seed from this lot every
year, ana found at the end of this
period as a reward for painstaking
and labor that l had quite succeeded
in eliminating the barren feature. /
beg to say in conclusion that this
corn will not weigh as heavily, bushel
for bushel, as corn that has been
allowed to run down; but it takes 30
much of the latter sort, in ears, to
she'll bushel, that if barrel of
each is shelled, aud weighed the
former will far surpass the latter,
both in bulk and weight. Moreover,
1t is my firm conviction that corn
thus improved is more easily masti-
Gated, more readily digested and is
therefore better, both for stock and
poultry. will add that any farmer
whose corn is "rnn down." can by
persistent effort, achieve the same
results. r. FULLER lIUNToN.