Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-02-09
The Philosophy OF Testing Seed
Corn.

Corn.
Men are by no means unanimous Ill
their opinion concerning the value OF
testing seed corn. Much has been
said on the subject during recent
years and our colleges and experiment
stations as a result of their inveStiga-
lions are emphatic in their assertions
that it will pay every farmer to test
his corn. Those who do not accept
this doctrine refuse it on the ground
that ordinary testing methods are so
artificial as to render the results not
only useless, but altogether mislead-
ing. Such persons claim that if corn
is properly selected in the fall and
kept in the right manne during n
winter it needs no testing, but that
it will grow to the very limit OF 100
per cent.
Now, what are the facts in the
case? We take our stand with those
who advocate the testing OF seed
corn, and we do it on the ground that
no man is skilled enough to absolute
ly determine whether the grain on an
ear of corn has been slightly injured
or not. OF course almost any man
can tell whether corn is dead or not,
but it frequently happens that it is
slightly injured and that the colora-
tion of the germ has been only family
affected. 1t is in such cases as these
that the testing of corn is invaluable.
AS to the artificiality of the plan
whereby a few kernels from each ear
are placed between cloths, we will
say that in our opinion this is not so
artificial as some would like to make
out. 1t is true that in a warm room
weakened corn may be made to show
up well when placed between wet
cloths, but we do not think that this
is the most modern way to test corn.
Our plan is to do the work in a room
that Is warm during the day and cool
at night. The work is generally done
in March and the temperature gets
down as low as As or so degrees at
night. Under these conditions it vii
require five or six days to germinate
corn, and II you have done the
work under similar conditions vol
have little idea what a contrast ther'
will be between the growth in thi!
time by a strong kernel Of corn and
weak one.
You will observe, ii the work /
done in this way, that in some In
stances both the leaf and the root ar
weak, while in other cases the roo
may grow, but not the leaf, and vic
versa. In any case all ears from
which these weakened kernels wer
taken should be discarded. An ca
Of corn produces about one thousan'
kernels. When the tip and butt kel
nels are discarded there is still enougl
seed left to plant two or three huI
dred hills. BY ascertaining, fror
testing a few kernels whether tn
whole ear is weak or not n ma
succeed In throwing out not only
few but possibly several dozen ears {
, the seed supply that would not gro
in the field, or II they would tn
growth would be weakly.
We could cite many instances I
4 show where a saving has been mad
s BY testing seed corn In the mannt
0 described. One authentic instant
] will be suficient at this time. Tv
: farmers Of III acquaintance agreed
plant the same variety OF corn
fields adjoining, the idea in using OF
variety being to prevent the SEE
il from mixing. They purchased Il
seed from q third party. 1t being 9
4 shipped In one lot and afterwards d
vided. One of these . made
thorough test Of the corr and four
that It gave a termination test
only so per cent. We understand tn;
only 5 Per cent was absolutely dea
but the balance had been sOmewh'
= weakened during the winter. III
!. Other party made no test whateve
= All the corn was planted on soil sin
lar 10 character IN 1901. In the
cality where these men reside the *
was exceedingly we and clammy
planting time that year, the resu
being that the man who tested i
corn obtained practically q perfe
= stand. While II WAS apparent from d
q very beginning that the 20 per &c
part % the other mans corn nev
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