The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-23
sel<cting seed Cor. Nov.

selecting Seed Corn Now.
 To the man who has been accustomed % select his seed corn at planting time the above title may suggest that seed ktune and harvest have become con- kuea1 tu the writer's mind. Yet those who b<st understand the Improvement of plants and our most progressive far mers are we'll aware that harvest time is the best time for choosing the ma terfal for the following season. The reason Is evident. IL is because only In the Held we can judge of the quail ties of the entire plant while in the crib our judgment is made in entire ignorance of many details. To impress the advantage of field selections as compared with crib selection of corn we should remember that the following qualities. distfnguishable only in the Held are important factors in the pro- ductiveness. quality and desIrability of the crop of corn.
 First--A definite numbef of ears per plant which number will vary with the variety and with the judgment of the grower. The preference usually on rich land is for plants that ordinarily pro- duce two ears per plant.
 Seccnd---Uniformity in size and quail ity of the two ears on any plant. In the crib we may even select an extra large ear which happens to have been borne on a plant having no other ear or having one ear and very small nubbin.
 Third--Ears rather low down on the stalk so that the plant will not easily fall down, permitting the grain to rot
 Fourth--Strength of stalk as fndt- catsd by few fallen plants. This strength may be found even in varie-i ties whose ears are born high uo as in the Mexican June.
 Fifth--Ears when ripe pointing up- ward, either by gradual pointing or ah- rupt point in the shank.
 Sixth---A shank not too long and not branched. that Is not bearing several abertive shoots.
 There Is another quality on which we can usually pass in the crib but on which we must decide In the field if the corn is to be shredded and thereby Shueked.
 This IS the extent to which the ahucks cover the top of the ear. This covering Is desirable not because 1t ex- cludes weevil as Is sometimes supposed. but because of the protection that it af- fords against the entrance of rain and consequent decay.
 Let |. be recognized that the selection of seed corn In the fall is a slower process than in the crib. for it is not 70 convenient in the field to examine tho character of the ear. Therefore rood plan is to gather in the field larger amount of seed ears than will be needed from stalks that have the qual- trfes mentioned above accompanied with promise of large yield of corn. Then on shucking the ears after carrying them from the field, a second selection can be made, rejecting the ears that are faulty in size, shape. color of grain or any other part. One method of doing this work rapidly consists in passing through the field rapidly inspecting plants on which are borne one or two large ears according to the number de- sired and cutting these with a hoe or corn knife, either near the ground or just below the lower ear Have some one following the man making the selection to carry the selected plants to the ends of the rows. where later they can be gathered and taken to the barn for more careful examination.
 In the latter more minute examina- tfon. chief emphasis must be laid upon size and shape as compared with other less essential and more nearly fancy points. Large size. yields. even taper and closeness of grain with little waste space between rows or between grains should be the principal points in de- cidfng between comparative merits of different ears. Of course soundness of freedom from discoloration or shelving at the point of attachment to the cob.
 The butts and tips should be we'll filled with grain. the filling of the butt perhaps being more important than that of the tips. Rows should start regular ly. but this is not so essential as the points first, mentioned and sometimes the largest and most shapeIy ears will Fave rows decidedly spiral We grow