The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-09-18
SEED CORN.
How About Your Field Selection?

state, is disgracefully low. Probably
careless methods Of preparing the soil
and planting the seed have much to
do with this condition. But we have
no doubt that poor seed has much to
do with it. It is too late for Florida
farmers to select their seed in the
field this season, but an article which
we have just found in the last number
Of the Progressive Farmer, is so val
liable that we give it now, and hope
that you will file it away where you
can find it next year and that you will
get the best seed possible for planting
and then begin careful seed selection
from the crop in the field. The Farm
er article is as follows:
A million dollars for a grain of
corn That was the heading to a short
item we printed few weeks ago. The
moral of it was, that the increase Of
one grain in each ear of corn raised IN
the South would add ST 900, 900 a year
1t takes 100000 bushels of seed
corn to plant the crop Of the United
States. If only one grain in three
should produce an ear, but that ear
were of such an improved variety that
it would contain five grains more than
the average ear now growing, it would
add 100000 bushels Of corn to the
country's harvest, which, at thirty
cents a bushel, would mean an in
crease of $7,5oo,ooo in the value of
the corn crop.
The Improvement Of the variety OF
corn you plant is Of great importance,
very great Importance. That is why
we mention it. Keeping it improved
up to the very highest point of vigor
and productiveness is equally import
ant; to keep your good variety up to
it's purest and best, it is imperative
that you practice field selection. That
is why we mention it now, while your
corn is growing and showing its field
characteristics, while you can tell
whether the stalk is of the right type
and whether it bears one, two, or three
ears, and whether the ear has the best
position on the stalk, and the other
things the progressive planter wants
to know about his corn.
We tried to impress these matters
in two or three special articles last
week, and, lest you forget, we are fol-
lowing them up with this reminder.
And please keep in mind that what
we are saying about corn applies
with just as great force to cotton.
A variety that will yield for you
one, two, three, four or five bushels
of corn per acre more than you are
now getting, just pours that much
corn down in your lap as a gift: 1t
takes no more land, no more fertiliz-
ing, no more blowing, no more cul-
tivating than poor or even barren
variety, and yet it brings to you at
harvest time rich bushels of golden
gifts which place upon you no extra
burden whatever except the labor OF
carrying them home from your fields.
Wouldn't it pay you to plant the best
seed corn?
There are two ways IN which you
may obtain a better variety Of corn:
CD by buying your seed from some
one who practices selection, or (2) by
practicing selection yourself. And
even if you buy the most satisfactory
variety known, what better way is
there to keep it satisfactory than to
plant each year from the most careful
ly selected ears Of the previous crop?
And thus have we reasoned ourselves
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