Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1904-09-16
1abom Selscl1ng Seea Corn

Nb0At e)eLock
Il is not time to select your seei
corn yet, bnt It 10 time to think sbout
1t and to decide on the method yor
will adopt in selecting your seed corr
for next year. We are speaking nov
not to the man who selects seed corr
for sale, nor to the farmer who ex
/ poets to bny the seed corn which ht
will plant next year. but to the farmer
and his sons who have good type o.
corn to begin with. who believe it car
be improved. and who expect to planl
seed Of their own growing for the next
years crop.
First, therefore. 70 them we would
say: Don't wait till You husk you,
corn before seleetingg yens seed bns
take time to do it soon. II you don't
have time, take It, We don't know any
thing you can do on the farm that
will pay you better in the long rnn
than selecting five or ten bushels Of
seed corn. First make up your mind
that you will not select any ears ex.
cept The very best and those that ma
tnre the earliest We will not ask you
TO take time to go through the field
when your corn is glazing to deter
mine which are the earliest ears. You
can tell that when it comes to select
ing later by their soundness and dry.
ness. It is important that We select
the earliest maturing ears. because
there is constant danger from the
southern line of Iowa north. and even
farther south than that, Of corn being
nipped by frost. We can not afford
to confine ourselves to the very early
varlties that will mature without any
doubt. We must grow something
larger than that to get the best yield,
and therefore the best way is to select
the earliest maturing ears Of varities
that occupy the full season. There Is
always . tendency to corn to variation.
some ears maturing early and others
late. and what We need is the earliest
maturing ears of the big kind.
Z Don't select an ear from . stalk
that is too tall. We don't need any
or fourteen foot stalks with
an ear 20 high up that tall man has
to jump to get It. No matter how good
an ear Of that kind il, let it alone.
Whys II ybu should select these high
ears you will be in the position that
a good many farmers in some parts
Of Illinois are today. The season has
promoted . very rank growth Of stalk
and the ears are very high up. and
the high winds that they had there
during the third week in August has
laid their corn fat, from which 1t will
never recover. Many farmers In Iowa
are in the same position. The higher
the ear, the more susceptible It 10 10
being blown down by wind. Therefore
reject oil these ears that arc high up
Reject also the ears that are too low
down, and for obvious reasons You
don't want - ear that you have to
stoop to husk. You don't want On ear
that will rest on the ground BY the
time 1t Is ready TO husk. Get an ear
that Is just high enough for the aver
age sized man to grasp with his hand
without bending his back.
Don't select an ear that when ma
tured stands nearly straight up, or ct
an angle Of forty.ave degrees. Whys
That ear will mot dry out readily: and
II it is open at the point, % It some.
times is. that is, II the ear protrudes
from the husk. q it sometimes does,
It will take water and be liable to
mold. Therefore you don't want that
BAR. Don't select any ear that does
not bond over by the time the corn is
oven partially mstured. The oar that
bends downward has . chance to dry
out, and the reason It bends down IL
because Of The the relatively heavier
weight Of the corn than the shank.
Il is likely 70 have small or medium
,ized cob. to be we'll developed. fully
mstured. easily dried out, when the
husk will open ct the point and be.
come loose all over We would not
select an ear that does bend over If
The husk was not loose at the point.
Tor the simple reason that 1t IL likely
10 be undeveloped, and even II we'll
developed will not dry out readily, 90
Is to be fit for seed.
When you select IN ear Of corn take
. look ~ the stalk. What We need
Ls q sort Of Dutchman's stalk built
Dutch fashion. draft horse fashion.
after the type OF . first,
class Cruickshsnk bull OF . good feed.
sng steer Of any breed. That is, one
that is robust, Of great vitality, and
stands mp straight. Don't take IN ear
from . stalk that leans over when
there has not been any severe storm,
A very severe storm will swirl and
twist even the strongest kind of corn.
stalk; but when the stalk leans over,
the great bulk Of the stalk remaining