The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1909-09-04
How to Get Seed Corn of Good Quality

kXNl and knowledge or agriculture. the import.
~ ance OF better seed is receiving more A..
tention The farmers OF the South are large buv
ers of seeds OF all kinds. An unusually larse
number buy their seed corn instead of selecting
II in the field as they should. Many buy seed corn
every year. believing this cheaper way than to
select I, themselves but tho majority. wishing to
get a start with a good variety. buy In small
quantities This general and large demand for
seed corn has attracted the attention OF many
growers and vendors OF corn. and as a result
many have offered seed corn for sale who did
not fully appreciate what constitutes good seed
corn and wha, Ia required by the just demands Of
tho intelligent purchaser.
II a fair sample of corn In worth rs cents
bushei. tho man who advert!sos seed for sale
at $50 or 81 90 bushoi is under obligations to
furnish the purchaser a superior quality OF corn
No; necessarily a superior quality OF seed corn
bu, certainly a higher grade OF corn than ord.
nary marketable corn TO be used for feeding pur-
poses. The purchaser sends OF for seed corn and
pays tho advance In price because he wants and
expects OF pure breeding OF a certain variety.
that has been selected With sone and in,eri.
gencc. and no man has a RICH; TO advertise sssd
is prepared to send on, sccd corn In reality CON
and sccd corn quite different commodities -
the prices charged indicate. aud the purchaser has
righ; 20 demand certain Debate qualities N the
seed corn that Is aod him.
A common practice o. large number OF SELL
crm of seed corn IL TO shcli tho entire crop Of
grower and put II the market seed cora
Some OF ,hcso vendors screen GU, tho small grains
bu, many do not. Altogether TOO small a nambs
Hoicc, the ears in,ciligon;iy from corn iha; w
grown from carefully selected secd.
Sod corn {. not ordinary corn. The term hu
Hor1e higher and more specific significance. No
man should knowingly buy seed cora that II not
paro variety To keep corn pure. pure sssd
muai be planted sufficiently far from other vsris-
ties to proven, mixing This is no, always done
by those ~ho sell corn for sccd. The ease with
which corn mixes In obatacic TO Keeping any
variety purc unlcsn considerable care IL taken to
guard against contamination. No man should sell
s"~d corn unlcsa the ears have been carefully se-
lec'cd. All srnall aud inferior ears should DO e.
c'ndcd and all small and lgh, kernels should prob
ably DO screened out. Certainly. rotten wccvtl
eaton. defective Kernels are not suitable for seed
aud should not b. 1old as such.
Ercry reader who expects 90 ofycr seed corn Tor
sale mex, spring Is under obligation TO make .
eAFolul ana conscientious selection this fall ana
to keep the corn thus selected 80 that It's germi-
mating powers will be uninjured during the win
ter. Our advice 10 him. too. would be- 10 sell the
corn In the ear. Then the buyer can tell exactly
what he IL getting
Tho man who has been buying seed corn should
have patch this fail where he can select his own
seed. II he has not. II may pay him bet
ter. II he knows where he can buy seed of really
good quality. TO do this than TO depend seec-
tion from fields whore all sorts OF stalks have
been allowed To mature pollen: but most farmers
should select NJ least part OF the seed for next
years planting In their own fields this fall.