Mower County transcript., 1908-10-07
HOW TO SELECT GOOD SEED

If we were asked to name the most
important factor connected with the
growing of good crop of corn we
would not dwell on the method of
cultivation, nor even the plan of pre-
pairing the soil for the crop. Neither
would we contend that it is in test
ing the seed or in adjusting the
planter. We would say that the most
important thing is to gather the seed
cron early and dry it out thorou ghly
before freezing weather commences.
There is such a thing as getting
100 per cent corn; that is, corn that
Will give a terminating test of 100
per cent, although in our opinion not
more than one man in ten attains
this result. This is the method by
which it may be done: Take the
time to go through the corn fields
just after the corn gets we'll dented
and select those ears that are suf-
hclently large to meet your approval,
and at the same time those that are
a little better matured than their
fellows. At one time we thought this
was very heavy task, but we find as
the years go by that our ideals then
were just little high and we spent
too much time looking for perfect"
ears. AS matters have settled down
In our practice we find that two men
can. without difficulty, select out Is
or 20 bushels of very satisfactory
corn and hang it up In one day. In
some localities this task may be per-
formed around the first of Septem-
Der, while in the northern half OF
the corn belt it may run over until
the first or even the tenth of Octo-
ber. =.
AS to the method of hanging up;
we will say that there is big knack
In that. Not that we. advocate any
one plan and ones only, but rather
that the thing to do is to hang the
corn so that no ear will touch an
other ear. and have it hung under
such conditions that the breezes win
blow freely Through your seed sup
ply. One plan that we have found
to work exceedingly we'll is to strine
dozens of strands of wire across the
corn crib the short way. Some, .of
the wires may be placed high and
some of them may be low. Then tie
two ears together by the husks and
throw them over the wire, 'keepine
Se~SAA p&IAA JuoC a. 11CLAC ways lEOIIl the
ne1ghbor pair. or at least so adjusted
that they only touch at a few kernels
on the butt. Corn handled in this
way will be practically dried out in
two or three weeks. and after that
we have no special advice to offer be-
cause corn when it is once dry is in
little danger of being injured by
freezing weather.
To sum the matter up in advance
of the seed-making season we will
say that one man in one day will find
enough good corn for the average
quarter section to plant the crop the
next year, and if he will take our ad-
vice and select 1t at the time we
have stated and hang it in an airy,
dry place. such as we have described,
we will give him our word that there
will be no need next spring of going
to the trouble to test even a single
ear Of that corn. It will grow, not 80
or 80 per cent, but 100 per cent, be-
cause the same conditions that make
one ear vital in it's every kernel will
contribute to the same end in the
case Of every kernel on every ear.
This is not theory, but fact, tested
out and backed up by the experience
Of thousands Of our best farmers, as
we'll as by the scientific date chat is
made available by our experiment
stations Wisconsfn Farmer.