Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-04-16
Boys Farm Demonstration
::::: Work. $3.50:
BY Or. s. A. Knapp.

4
The following Is being sent to all
county and local rural. school superin-
tendents:
Washington, D. c., March IS, 1903.
To Schools Conducting Demonstration
Work Among Students:
| Attached hereto you will find few
suggestions which may be Of interest.
I II you wish any Of the farmers bull
letins of the department or more OF the
circulars issued by this office kindly
advise us Of the number of the bulle-
tin or the subject upon which you want
1t and we will be only too glad to have
them forwarded.
Assuring you that We are glad to
aid you in any way possible, I am,
| Truly yours,
s. A. Knapp,
Special Agent in Charge.
Lesson Plans on Seed Selection.
Circular No. SO on Corn-Have the
pupils go to their fathers corn crib
or q neighboring one, select and bring
to the class five ears each Of the best
seed corn. At the same time, let the
teacher furnish as nearly perfect an
ear of seed corn as possible. Discuss
with the class what constitutes good
seed corn following suggestions on
page Of circular No. SO. The STU
dents themselves should not study the
circular until after they have had some
lessons on judging.
When the students have had their
contest in judging and are thorough
ly familiar in a general way with good
seed corn and poor seed corn, 1t might
be interesting to ask the farmers to
come to the school some afternoon and
Judge Of the best five ears selected.
This would make good Friday after
noon entertainment, and would be of
some value in educating the farmer
himself.
AS soon as the best corn i5 selected
make a seed testing box, described on
page 8. circular No. SO, and test the
corn for terminating power. If there
is school garden have corn planted
in spring and let the students do their
selecting and breeding in the future. If
there is no school garden, ask each
most resistant against the different
diseases.
Visit a neighboring field, provided
corn Is not already harvested, some
time during the course Of the lessons,
and hunt for barren stalks; stalks with
only one ear and stalks with the two
cared variety. Select seed from two
cared variety and use it for a special
seed patch, which Is to be conducted
by the students. II the schools Will
not be in session when corn Is in tas-
sell then give instruction while in the
fad about pulling out the tassels OF
barren stalks, so that pollen from
them VIII not fertilize the SILKS Of 9TH
er corn and make all poor in quality
In the two cared patch pull tassels
from all one cared varieties.
| Store the corn in a dry place until
planting season. The best method OF
storage and a very simple one, is to
tie the ears, one across another, and
hang them in a dry room. This can
be done very easily as 1t takes only
about twelve ears to plant an acre.
See II barren stalks, or stalks with
only small nubbins (Which may be
called barren) are growing on as good
land as stalks with filed ears. See If
you can find a stalk with good ear
and stalk with a poor ear growing
side by side This will prove the need.
Show that the pollen on the poor
stalk will fertilize the ear Of the good
stalk and make the good ear undesira-
BILE for seed.
Find stalk with only one ear and
stalk with two ears growing on same
land under like cultivation and similar
fertilization.
Observe the number Of poor ears In
the cornfield. Look for the manner OF
growth of shuck over ear, the height
of ear on stalk, weight Of ear, size of
stalk.
Observe methods Of harvesting, stor-
ing and use Of corn.
Have each pupil give full details of
how the corn is harvested at his home,
the use made Of it, etc.
Some people have hogs and steers to
feed on corn when in field, others pull
blades from stalks and then pull on
ears; others cut and shock. Let the
teacher read Bulletins Nos. 313, 272,
81, 3O3, 21S and 229, and give the pu-
pills the various methods Of harvesting
and using corn in different sections OF
the United States.
The pupils should then record the
accounts as told by the teacher and
compile the whole into little bulletin
made by himself. He can bind the
bulletin, make his own decorations and
print the same in his own handwrit-
ing.
Students may desire to write to
schools in other sections Of the coun-
try to know the customs Of harvest
ing, storing, etc.
After pupils have made excursions,
selected and tested seed corn, let them
read the seed corn circular and other
bulletins closely related. This Will
give splendid exercises in reading.
Keep a record Of all excursions and
all seed testing changes that occur In
grain during termination, and at the
conclusion Of the subject let pupils
write short bulletin giving directions
for selecting, testing and storing seed.
Any number of simple problems
from counting in numbers to percent
age may be made in finding number Of
barren stalks, percentage Of stalks
with two ears, percentage Of vital ears
in the test, length Of time 1t took seed
to germinate, etc.
If there Is a shop in connection with
the school, have each student or GER
tain group of students, make seed
testing boxes. They need not be cost
ly, but for the sake of the training 1t
furnishes complete working plans