Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-10-20
Harvesting and Storing of Seed Corn.
Mr.. Geo. A. Wells, Secretary,
Iowa Grain Dealers Aaan..

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Iowa Grain Dealers Assn,
Des Moines Iowa.
DEAR SIR-Replying to your ques-
tons of "Where and how to select
seed corn and where and how to
store it," will say owing to the cold
season and the extreme slowness
with which corn has natured this
fall, the greatest possible care
should be exercised by every farm.
er in the selecting and storing of
his seed corn. The most essential
thing is to have the seed thorough
ly dry before the bitter cold weather
of November. One of the safest
methods is to select the seed corn
from the earliest planted field, not
later than October 18th, taking the
most mature ears. Tie eight or ten
ears together in a string with bind
ing Irvine, or tie them in pairs by
the husks and hang on some wires
in an open shed where the sun can.
not shine on them but where the
wind can have the best possible OPP
portunity to blow through the corn
and dry it out thoroughly. AS soon
as dry and before any hard freezes
about Nov. lst to 5th) store in some
place where there is good circula-
ton of air and where it will be
somewhat protected from the Sc
we're freezes during the months of
Novemb Der and December, such as
the attic or furnace room. If you
are certain that the corn has
thoroughly dried out, it might re-
main where it was hung in the
open shed all winter, provided the
sparrows and the mice do not trou-
BILE it and there would be no DANCE r
of injury from freezing. But in slow
cold season like the past and the
present, or wnere the corn was not
hung up before Oct. 18th, the only
safe thing to do is to take the corn,
down and place it where it is pro.
tected as stated above. In q slow
season the corn contains much
more moisture than is generally
supposed. Last fall on Oct. 25th
5000 pounds of corn we're placed in
a crib and have been weighed each
week since. It has now lost 1920
pounds or q per cent. 1t is posi-
BILE for such corn to dry out suffi-
GENTLY to prevent its being weaken
ed or killed by the fall freezes.
CAUTIONS.
L. Do not store seed corn over
the stable as it will gather moisture.
2. Do not put freshly gathered
seed corn in a warm room. 1t will
either sprout or mold or both.
8. For the same reason do not
leave it in barrels and boxes or on
the South porch where the Gun can
shine on it.
4. During the first two weeks af-
ter the seed corn is harvested, while
it is green and sappy, it should be
dried under as nearly normal condi.
tions of temperature as possible.
After this the drying may be has
tened by placing in warm but well
ventilated place.
5. Do not take any chances with
the seed corn.
6. Save two or three times what
you will need for your own use. Your
neighbor may need it next spring.
Z. Last spring thousands of farm
ers planted weakened seed. This
together with the cold spring gave
replanting. Over thousand sam
pies of corn were sent to the Sta
ton to be tested last spring. The
tests showed an average of Is per
cent that would not grow and 10 per
cent more that gave a week germi-
nation and was not fit to plant,
leaving only SO per cent of a strong
seed. I would again emphasize the
importance of harvesting the seed
corn not later than Oct. 18th, and
hanging where there is the freest
CIRCULATION of air with a normal
temperature.
Yours Truly,
P. g. HOLDEN.