Evening journal., 1909-04-08
BUYING AND (
TESTING OF CORN
Prof. GraRtham Treats oil
Subject in Experimental
Station Bulletin

A. r. Grantham. agronomist at the
Delaware College Experiment Station.
has issued the following bulletin ON
The Buying and Testing of Seed
Corn"
Recently the Experiment Station
has received several inquiries regard
ing seed corn. These questions rc-
late mainly to the adaptability Of
various varieties TO certain soils and
10 the advisability OF planning seed
corn grown at a distance.
In general 1t is safer to secure seed
corn from neighbor who is a sue
cessful grower than to send away for
seed Corn grown in the same locality
for a number of years has adjusted its
habits of growth TO soil and climatic
conditions and. other things being
equal, is more likely to yield we'll than
seed brought from another section.
The chances are that seed from q
heavy soil will when planted on an
open sandy soil fail TO produce sound
corn. Choose a variety with med
ium- sized cob and moderate depth of
grain to mature we'll. Varieties with
large cobs indicate a late maturing
habit
"All seed corn should be bought in
the ear for two reasons. First, la
order that the type Of car may be eN-
| amined: second. that the vitality OF
the seed may he satisfactorily tested.
Shelled corn may have come from all
kinds OF ears, many of them undesir
able for seed purposes.
Even when seed corn has beon
given the bestaattention it is a good
practice to test eSery ear before plant
ing as no one can determine positively
by inspection which cars will not
grow. Since one car plants so many
hills, about .one-twelfth acre, it is inn
portant to have every car furnish
strong seed. Anyone can easily detect
and discard the poor seed cars by the
following method.
After selecting the ears from which
you wish to plant, lay them out in
rows on a table, platform. or on the
floor. At the butt of each ear in
scribe Il number on the floor, using
chalk or pencil. Number the ears
| consecutively from 1 20 the last. From
near the tip. middle and butt of each
| ear remove three or four kernels, ten
| ten IN all from each year. Now take
| a shallow box or feet square and
about 3 or inches deep, and in it
/ place about ? inches of sand or old
/ sawdust. Moisten it down well. Then
over this spread a white muslin cloth.
cut to fit, which has been marked of
into inch squares with a lead pencil.
| The squares are numbered in order
from in the upper left hand corner
TO the last square in the lower right
hand corner. If one is to test large
quantity OF seed at one time, several
boxes should be used.
"Now place the kernels on the
squares. Those from ear No. on
square No. l. until the box is filled.
over the kernels place a cloth on
which sprinkle IA inch of sand. Mols-
ten thoroughly and place the box in
a. room where the temperature does
not fall below 20 degrees. In four or
FIVE DAYS most of the kernels will have
sprouted, and in a week those which
have not germinated nav be consid-
cred dead. Care should be taken not
10 disarranse the kernels on their re-
spective squares when the upper cloth
| is removed. II the kernels on GER
! tain square, say No. IL. fail to sprout.
go 70 the seed ears and pick out No.
! IA and throw il into the feed bin. II
| only one or two kernels in a square
fair to germinate. the ear from which
they came should not be used for seed.
By this method of testing II is possible
for the grower to be reasonably sure
that his seed corn will grow.
"Note.-The Experiment Station has
a limited quantity of seed corn of two
well bred varieties. one white. the other
yellow. which win be distributed free
to growers desiring TO test new
i variety in a small way.
| "A r. Grantham. Agronomist,
Delaware Experiment Station.