Milford chronicle., 1909-04-23
THE BUYING AND THE
TESTING OF SEED CORN

Recently the Experiment Station
has received several inquiries re-
garding seed corn. These ques-
tions relate mainly to the adapta-
Oility of various varieties to certain
soils and to the aGvisability of
planting seed corn grown at a dis
tance.
In general it is safer to secure
seed corn from a neighbOr who is a
successful grower than to send
away for seed corn. Corn grown
in the same locality for a number
OF years has adjusted its habits Of
growth to soil and climate condi-
tions and, other things being equal,
is more likely to yield well than
seed brought from another section.
The chances are that seed from
heavy soil will when planted on an
open sandy soil fail to produce
sound corn. Choose a variety with
a medium-sized cob and moderate
depth of grain TO mature well Va
rieties with large cobs indicate
late maturing habit
All seed corn should be bought
in the ear for two reasons. First,
in order that the type of ear may
be examined; second, that the vi
tality of the seed may be satisfac-
torily tested Shelled corn may
have come from all kinds of ears,
many of them undesirable for seed !
purposes.
Even when seed corn has been /
gwen the best attention it is a good .
practice to test every ear before
planting as no one can determine
positively by inspection which ears
will not grow. Since one ear
plants so many hills, about one
twelfth acre, it is important to have
every ear furnish strong seed.
Anyone can easily detect and dis
card the poor seed ears by the fol-
lowing 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 inscribe a number on the
floor, using chalk or pencil Num-
Der the ears consecutively from I
10 the last. From near the tip,
middle and butt of each ear remove
.hree or four kernels, ten in all
rom each ear. Now take a shall
ow box 3 or 4 feet square and q
about 3 or 4 inches deep, and in it |
1lace about inches of sand or old {
.awdust Moisten it down we'll.
Then over this spread a white mus
IN cloth, cut to fit, which has been c
marked off into inch squares with i
lead pencil. The squares are c
numbered in order from I in the
PIPER left hand corner to the last {
quare in the lower right hand cor
er. If one is to test a large guam
10 Of seed at one time, several n
OXes should be used. a
Now place the kernels on the n
luares. Those from ear No / on =,
luare No I, until the box is filled. f
'ver the kernels place a cloth on n,
hich sprinkle / inch Of sand. Ie
Loisten thoroughly and place the n
Ok in a room where the tempera- r,
IRE does not fall below TO- In II
ur or five days most Of the ker- st
els will have sprou ed, and in a in
eek those which have not ger n.
mated may be considered dead. A.
are should be taken not to disar- 7.
nge the kernels on their respec- av
We squares when the upper cloth 1r
removed. If the kernels on a er
rtain square, say a. fail to sprout or
to the seed ears and pick out
o. IA and throw it in the feed Be
n. If only one or two kernels in
square fail to germinate, the ear ",
I'M which they came should not M
used for seed. BY this method Of
testing it is possible for the grow ma
70 De reasonably sure that his sh,
ID corn will grow. of
Note.-The Experiment Station :
S a limited quantity Of seed corn Z
two we'll bred varieties, one white, n
, other yellow, which will be dis v
Duted free TO growers desiring to
t a new variety in a small way
+. Grantham, Agronomist, Della
re Experiment Station, Newark, I
laware. A