The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-20
selecting Ccrn Seed.

The best time for selecting seed corn has passed, for a much more tntelli- | gent selection can be made in the field than is possible in the crib. But the rush of work during the fall season and other considerations have resulted in failure to select ears from the best stalks. We must now do the best we can with the ears In the crib, ignorant of the kind of plant on which they were borne. Individual ears sometimes dif- fer quite as much from each other as | they do from ears of a different varie- | ty. For example in one experiment the difference in yield in the offspring | of two ears of corn was at the rate of fifty-four bushels per acre. Of course this was an extreme case for selections made even in the field. and many times greater than we could | reasonably expect from crib selections. However. 1t would be not unreasonable | to expect a difference of several bushels per acre between the best ears selected in the crib and the average unassorted ears.
 Most farmers select seed corn but such selections frequently go no furth- CT than to reject the nuhbins and use ears of full size. This does not go far enough. We need to note Q great num- Der of points before passing an intelli- gent opinion as to the suitability of an ear for seed purposes.
 The ear fit for seed must have good length and this length will differ with 1 the variety and with the character of the soil or season influencing tho l growth of the crop of which the ear forms a part. A length of nine inches one year, when corn averages small, may be as creditable as a length of ten or eleven inches with more favorable conditions.
 In reading discussions concerning a scale of points for corn as evolved by | northern growers we must remember that the ideal ear for the north is some- what different from the ideal ear for the South. At the South we could af- ford to have greater length of kernel or circumference of ear, since ample size here is"usually associated with late maturity, and would not, as in the North, result in the cribbing of imma- ture corn. Likewise in the length of ear, we should by no means confine l ourselves to the length given as ideal for northern varieties, these lengths being usually ten inches or less A length of eleven inches or more Is no objection in the South if the ear is | otherwise good. An ear should be rather large in diameter. The usual rule is that the distance around the ear should be three-fourths the length of the ear, making this measurement of | circumference at the point about one- | third the distance from the butt of the ear. A large diameter or circumfer- l ence may simply be the result of an unduly large cob. If so. 1t is a defect. A large diameter should mean great length of kernel.
 Especially avoid an ear having a sud l den depression about three inches from the butt end where the largest and most valuable kernels should be located. The general shape of the ear should be almost cylindrical, that Is with slight or uniform taper, the butt not bulging suddenly and the tip not contracting suddenly. The whole ear should be straight and not warped The tip should be well filled, the large sized kernels running out to near the tip. The rows of kernels should be straight or nearly so. that is, parallel with the cob
 A notable defect in some ears is the distance between the rows of kernels. The less of a depression here the bet ter for we wish the rows to touch each other shoulder to shoulder, the kernels touching edges throughout lamost their entire length. The kernels them selves should lie close against each | other and there should be little or no movement of the kernels when the ear is twisted or pressed to ascertain how thickly they are crowded. There is scarcely room here to call attention to all the desirable points in the butt re: zion except to say that the rows here should be straight and the shape of kernels not very irregular.
 l In selecting ears select towards one 1 type, that is get ears uniform, even though this may require that some good ears. different from the others. be rejected. In the selection of corn the individual grain Is almost as i'm portant as the ear itself. For most varieties that are popular in the South the long wedge shaped grain is pre- ferred, when the grain is viewed with the broadside towards the observer; that is, the grain should be broad at the top, taper very slightly toward the l bottom where 1t should have two full and prominent shoulders, and 1t should not terminate in a gradual slope to the tip. However. when viewed with | the narrow side towards one the grain should be thick at the bottom, as at the top. Fullness near the base of the kernel usually accompanies a large germ or kernel proper, which Is the growing part of the young plant. This fullness is taken as an indication of | strong vitality and also of richness of composition, for it is in this region of the grain thAt the most nutritious nor | ttons of the grain are stored. The germ or depression near the tip should | extend well up towards the outer edge | of the grain, and should be broad. for this Is the growing part and the most nutritious part. The lowest extremity of the germ where it is attached to the cob. on being broken should show no black color, and the skin covering the germ should not be shri- veled. However, the dimple or depres
 sion on the top of the kernel should be that which is most characteristic of the variety. whether a slight dent or a deep dent beak, making a roughened ear. However this denting should be uniform throughout the ear
 It is very important that the ker- nels should be uniform in size and in shape, not including in this of course l the kernels at the extreme tip and butt Uniformity in size and shape of grain l