The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-12-23
CARE OF SEED CORN.
How the Vitality and Nutriment Of
tho Seed May Be Best Pre-
served in Winter.

After having been properly grown and
selected, seed corn may be greatly re-
duced in vitality by injudicious care
during the winter. 1t is the vitality of
the seed and the nutriment stored in the
seed that sustains the young plants dur
ing their first week of growth, and the
success of a crop depends much upon
the vigor with which the young plants
begin growth. BY those who take pains
to select seed in the fall, not many Sc
rious mistakes are made regarding its
preservation, although some do not give
the seed as good treatment as they
might easily 90, says c. P. Hartley, OF
the United States department of agri-
culture. Any means that secures thor
ough drying of the seed ears soon after
they ripen, before freezing weather, and
keeps them dry until the seed is planted,
will be success
1t must be remembered that although
seed corn is thoroughly dried, it will
not remain so if exposed to saturated
atmosphere. The kernels absorb mois-
ture, and if exposed to changes in tenn
perature while moist, their vitality will
be injured. A thorough drying of seed
ears by artificial heat. if necessary, and
their preservation in dry atmosphere
and at a steady temperature, is strongly
recommended. In 1901 seed dried by
fire and kept dry and at a steady temper
| ature during the winter was planted, in
comparison with seed from the same
| fields which was suspended in barns at
husking time and left exposed to at
mospheric conditions.
| The tests were made on different soils
and in different states by planting ten
acre patches, SO that the well-preserved
or fire-dried seed was planted in alter
nate rows with the air-dried seed. There
was no perceptible difference in the ra-
pidity of termination; 7O.9 per cent. of
the air-dried and 1873 per cent. of the
fire-dried seed grew and survived.
These percentages were obtained by
counts made after the plants were about
eight inches high. A count made al
harvest time proved that the stalks had
increased by growth of suckers 1877 per
cent. in the air-dried rows and 29,4 pei
cent. in the fire-dried rows. The crop
from each row was weighed carefully
and in all cases each fire-dried row pro-
duced more and better corn than the air.
dried rows on either side of it,
me greatest difference was on good
soil on the Potomac river bottoms
where the fire-dried seed produced 1917
bushels more corn per acre, the average
yield from the fire-dried rows being
$3.50 bushels of ear corn per acre, il
comparison with 6734 bushels from thu
air-dried rows. Although all the rows
were planted by hand with three ker
nels in every hill and terminated al
most equally well, as above shown, a
harvest time the fire-dried rows con
tanned 1875 per cent. more stalks thai
the air-dried rowe. This, however, wa
not the leading cause for the increase,
production, for the total average pro
duction per stalk in the fire-dried row
was 0.672 pound. as compared wit
0.618 pound per stalk from air-drie
seed.
On upland clay soil fire-dried see
produced 1892 bushels per acre, Will
the air-dried seed produced 56S8, diff
ference of seven bushels in favor of tn
seed that had special care taken of
!. during the winter. While it may no
) be practicable for a. growers to kee
: their seed corn throughout the winte
by means of fire, it is possible for all t
dry the seed ears thoroughly in the IA
and then place them where they will re
} main dry.