West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1909-07-29

Ing ability Of strain OF corn ten
bushels TO the acre or moro by Il very
few years breeding. Seed from such
an improved strain VIII find a ready
market at satisfactory figures.
Selection Of Ears.
In starting out TO improve n strain
or corn there are two main points 10
be consldered-yield and quality. Tho
quality can be determined readily by
inspecting tho ears. In examining the
ears the following FIVE points are 20
DO looked for: ~ General appearance.
The ear should DO as largo as It can
DO and still be suro to get ripo every
year. 1t should DO straight, symmet-
rical and not taper too abruptly. The
butts and tips should DO fairly well
hlled, though other moro important
points should not be sacrificed for this.
(O Trueness 10 type. Every establish
ed breed Of corn has fits peculiarities OF
shape. color, ETC.. that must be consid-
cred. The general typo of the breed
should be adhered to closely, as uni
formity is an indication of breeding.
CD Maturity. No ear should bo used
for seed that Is not sound and well
matured. Soft, chafry, starchy kerr
nels or those shrunlken at tho tip, with
chan adhering to them, are indications
OF immaturity. Deep kernels go with
late maturing corn. Extreme depth
or kernel cannot be expected I'm tho
early varieties that must be grown I'm
the north. a. Vitality. While all corn
should be tested before It IS planted,
vet fhnFn 10 -
thrown out without tho trouble OF test
Ing. Immature ears nre usually lack
Ing I'm vitality. If tho kernels arc
blistered on the back or the embryo IS
dark or yellowish tho chances aro that
1t VIII not grow. (0 Shelling percent
age. A high percentage of corn TO cob
Is desirable. but should DO secured by
compact fairly deep kernels rather
than by an abnormally small cob.
Increasing tho Yield.
While quality is important, yield is
even more so. This is not so easily
determined. actual field tests being re-
quired. Before starting these tests
the breed OF corn 60 DO grown should
DO selected. It pays TO begin work
with the best corn obtainable, as you
are thus starting where some one else
has left OF. A breed Of corn that has
proved Itself adapted 90 your locality
Is the best 20 select.
There are almost as many methods
OF breeding seed corn as there arc corn
breeders. Many OF these aro too com
plicated 10 be adapted TO the farmer
who is just starting In as n corn
breeder. After n fow years expert
enco with simpler method, some OF
the plans for keeping n record OF each
ear from year 20 year and producing
''pediRreed" seed corn may DO en-
pioyed.
The breeding plot should DO 500 10
GOO feet long-tust long enough so that
Il takes an car 60 plant n row. re
should DO wide enough for about fifty
or these rows. The soil and drainage
conditions OF tho plot should bo as
nearly uniform as possible. 1t should
be located twenty TO forty rods from
any other corn. 80 TINT there VIII DO
no danger Of mixing. Fifty OF tho best
ears OF the desired strain should bo
selected and shclled separately. Each
OF the rows I'm tho breeding plot IS 90
90 pahtcd with one or these cars. The
work can be done with n planter II
care IS taken 10 clean ont the boxes
thoroughly each time across. 10 IS
better TO drill the corn I'm the breed
Ing plot since it is TOO narrow 10 cul-
uvato TO advantage crosswlsc. Two
or three border rows should be planted
around the edges OF tho plot
Care ~ Fbn pr,.df,e, pfo4
The breeding plot should not be fer
tllized any better than any OF tho 9th.
er fields on the farm, and the prepara.
ton Of the seed bed and cultivation
should be the same. The primo OBJ
ject IS TO develop n strain OF corn thaf
VIII yield wen under average field con
ditions. The extra work that IS put OF
the breeding plot should be applied e
the corn itself and notl 70 the soil