The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-03-15

days. When sufficient time has been
allowed for the kernels to germinate re-
move the cover carefully to avoid mis-
placing the kernels "a piece of light
cheese cloth placed on the kernels before
the top covering is put on will pervent the
kernels from sticking to the cloth Ex
anime the kernels in the first row of the
terminating box. For example. if the
kernels in squares Nos. q. s, - and 90
have failed to grow or show weak germi-
nation, ears Nos. 4. 8, 10 and 20 on the
floor should be rejected. Do not fail to
remove the ears showing weak germina-
ton. If the ground is cold and the weather
unfavorable in the spring these kernels
will rot, or if they grow at all, will pro-
duce weak plants.
The above method is inexpensive and
termination boxes can be prepared for
testing any amount of corn required.
This year the College tested seed corn
for more than three thousand acres by the
above method. Each day one man germi-
mated on an average, enough to plant
thirty acres.
The advantage of this method of testing
over the old one of taking kernel of each
of 100 ears and mixing them up before
testing is easily seen. BY this method if
few kernels fail to terminate, the ears
from which they were taken may be dis
carded. while by the old way they would
have to be retained even though the entire
ear might be of no use for seed. The
value of such test as the one just de-
scribed cannot be emphasized too strongly
as 1t enables the farmer to plant seed
which he knows will grow if the other
conditions are favorable.
Grading Seed Corn and Calibrat-
ing Planter.
After the seed ears have been selected
from general appearance of ear and kerr
mel and for their terminating qualities
they are ready to be graded for the plant
err. The ears should first be butted and
tipped. This is done for two reasons.
In the first place butt kernels and tip kerr
nels produce less than middle kernels
and in the second place they are so irreg-
ular in size and shape that the planter
cannot drop them evenly. Each ear should
now be shelled by itself as this gives an
opportunity to discard ears with broken
or injured kernels not discovered in pre-
vious examinations. 1t also gives an OPP
portunity to grade the kernels into large,
medium and small size. This will make
it possible for the planter to drop the re-
CURED number of kernels in each hill.
In grading large quantity of corn
frequently five or six grades can be pro-
ftably be made. Even in few bushels
of well selected corn we are likely to find
broad thin kernels, broad thick kernels,
long morrow shoe-peg kernels and perhaps
one or two other distinct types In shell
ling one man can turn the shelter and put
the ears in. second man can catch each
ear by itself in large shallow pan as it
comes through and, after little practice
can tell at glance to which grade it be-
longs. Have box for each grade. While
these kernels differ widely in shape they
are all good. They possess strong vitality
as shown by the termination test. and will
in, all probability produce vigorous ear
producing stalks. Still it would not be
good practice tc shell them together as
the planter could not successfully handle
kernels of such widely different types.
Before any considerable amount of any
one grade is shelled, it is advisable to test
the planter and adapt the grade as far as
possible to the plates on hand. If this is
carefully done very little work will be re-
quired in celebrating or filing the plates.
When the different grades have been
made up they should be placed in sack
and hung up in dry, we'll ventilated
place until planting time.