The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-04-18
BY Il. e. BLAKESLEE. JACKSON.

year AID the year after unless care is
exercised in the selection from year to
year of corn true to type and good 9th
erwise. The same is true of cotton and
other seed for general farm use. The
men who have propagated good seed
have done SO by a strict selection from
year to year, never losing sight OF the
special qualities that it was desired to
develop. Hence, the article on seed
selection some time since that has
brought out several communications
and experiences that are worthy of re-
lected the following, written by Mr.. w.
G. Trimble, of Staffords, Bolivar cOun-
ty. His letter is worthy of careful Pc
rusal and consideration:
Noticing your article in the county
papers relative to closer attention to
the growing Of corn in our State, l de-
sire to submit to your consideration a
series OF experiments that l have been
conducting looking t the improvement
of corn that would be an advantage to
this section of the State. Three years
ago l purchased a selected lot of Boone
county white seed corr from a member
of the Illinois Corn Breeders Associa-
ton with the idea of acclimating to
this latitude and gain an increased
yield over corn usually grown here. In
this | was disappointed. Giving care
full attention to cultivation, the yield
was below expectations; the grain
shape, size Of cob and appearance of
ear rather adhered to type, but the
grain was inclined to be soft and invit-
ing TO weevils.
1.-The following year ( selected ears
that looked more promising and this
seed | planted in alternate rows with d
corr that l had raised for a number of
years and was hard. | detasseled the
Northern corn and the result was that
/ gained a corn that was harder in
grain, ears of good appearance and of
an average of about 8. inches in length,
but not as we'll filled out as l would
have liked to have had them. Last
sCGA l pidLlGCu oCCo ~ ilC UCIdooOlCd
rows only, and Melted on six acres of
trial ground that had no previous fer
tilizing beyond planting in peas, a yield
OF forty bushels to the acre of a clear
white corn, of longer cob and of a
grain, that while not so large as the
original Boone county white, were OF
good average size. The ground select
ed was, l will admit, above the average
that would be encountered by the delta
planter in the matter of thorough
drainage, and each ear was tested for
termination strength, only the seed
from ears showing the most vigorous
sprouts being retained for planting.
This year l have already planted
twenty-five acres and expect to plant
seventy-tive acres more On the fields
planted the stand is exceptionally good
despite the varied changes in tempera-
ture that we have experienced. In or
der to give the crossed strain a more
thorough trial, 1 have given seed to
others with the hope and intention of
broadening the experience, and if you
would be interested, l would gladly send
you a small amount of the corn to place
with some good planter for trial in the
hill or prairie section of the State. All
that | ask is that you designate the man
and require of him intelligent cultiva-
tion and a report to me in the fall Of the
result Of his trial. II the result obtain
ed by myself and others allow me to
conscientiously feel that l have i'm
proved and developed a variety of corn
that would be of value to others, | will
place it on the market as a seed corn.
Can you suggest any form of further
improvement? l would be glad to &C.
cept anything you may offer in the way
of a suggestion as to increased yield, or
other improvement of the corn"
Mr.. Trimble bids fair to build a corn
that will be valuable to the people OF
Mississippi. A continuance of selection
methods, first in the field before gath
ering and later after removing the
shuck, will no doubt develop a variety
of corr especially adapted to the delta
and likely all sections of the State.
The result of his efforts will be watched
with the greatest interest, and it is to
be hoped that future bulletins from this
department may illustrate the success
full corn bred by Mr.. Trimble.
P. K. Hammett of Warren county
sends the department several selected
ears of yellow Dent corn that would
grade high according to the Holden
or any other method that might
be employed. He will select a consid-
cradle quantity of this corn in the fall
for planting, and hopes to grade it to a
excellence than it is at present.
AS a producer it is already hard to turn
down.
Mississippi's first money crop, .veget-
sbles, is moving lively and the yield is
most satisfactory. Prices are ruling
good and the season promises to be a
most prosperous one.