Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1906-09-28
CARE OF SEED CORN.
How the Vitality and Nutriment Of
the Seed May Be Best Pre-
served In Winter.

After having been properly grown and
selected. SEED corn may be greatly re-
iuced in vitality by injudicious care
during the winter. Ii 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 yigor with which the young plants
begin growth. By those who take pains
TO select seed In the fall. not many sci
rious mistakes are made regarding its
preservation. although some do not giye
the SEED as good treatment as theyl
might easily do, says c. p Hartley. oil
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 a success.
II must be remembered that although
seed corn is thoroughly dried. il will
lot remain so II exposed to a saturated
atmosphere. The kernels absorb mois-
ture, and II exposed to changes in tenn
perature while moist. their vitality will
be injured. A thorough drying of seed
ears by artificial heat, il necessary, and
their preservation in a dry atmosphere
and at steady temperature, is strongly
recommended. In 1901 seed dried by
fire and kept dry and at a steady temper
AZURE during the winter was planted, inl
comparison with seed from the same
fields which was suspended in barns at
husking time and left exposed to at
mospheric conditions.
The tests we're made on different soils
ard In different states by planting ten
are patches, SO that the well-preserved
IT fire-dried seed was planted in alter
.-lte rows with the air-dried seed. There
was no perceptible difference in the ra-
pidity Of termination; 100 per cent Of
he 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 at
harvest time proved that the stalks had
increased by growth Of suckers 1871 per
cent. in the air-dried rows and 29,4 per
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.
Ine greatest difference was on good
soil on the Potomac river bottoms,
where the fre-dried seed produced 1874
bushels more corn per acre, the average
yield from the fire-dried rows being
S.5s bushels Of ear corn per acre. In
comparison with 6734 bushels from the
air-dried rows. Although all the rows
were planted by hand with three kerr
nels In every hill and terminated al
most equally well, as above shown, at
harvest time the fire-dried rows con-
tanned l2.5 per cent. more stalks than
the air-dried rows. This, however. was
not the leading cause for the increased
production, for the total average prod
duction per stalk In the fre-drisd rowd
was 0.672 pound, as compared with
O.6lS pound per stalk from air-drisd
seed. 90
On upland clay soil fre-dried seed
produced 1892 bushels per acre, while
the air-dried seed produced 56.SS, a difI
ference Of seven bushels in favor Of thd
seed that had special care taken of I'd
during the winter While II may nod
be practicable for all growers to keep
their seed corn throughout the winter
by'means of fire. 1t is possible for all I'd
dry the seed ears thoroughly in the fail
and then place them where they will rel
main dry.