St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-08-21
CORN GROWING.
How to Select Seed that
Will Produce Large
Yield OF Good
Grain.

The following is taken from Corn
Bulletin No. 1I8, of the Louisiana
State Experiment Station:
The experiment stations of Alabama,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mary
land and Louisiana have all found
homegrown seed superior to north
ern-groWn seed. The best corn grow
ers of Texas, and the corn special
lists of the Agricultural College of
Texas, all recommend homegrown
seed corn. 1t pays the producer to
raise good seed for sale, and it pays
the purchaser to give what the seed
IS worth. Seed corn put on the market
as well-bred is sometimes of inferior
quality. Seed we'll suited for given
soil and climate may be poorly suited
for locality with entirely different
soil and climate. It is therefore pru-
dent to purchase only from a man who
is known to be reliable, and whose
methods of selection and breeding are
approved by good breeders. 1t is
likewise the part of wisdom to secure
strains of corn that are known to do
we'll in soil and climate similar to that
in which the crop is to be planted.
1t is desirable to purchase seed corn
in the ear. Therefore, whether man
is producer or purchaser, it is import
ant that he be able to judge of the
qualities of good corn, so far as they
are shown in the ear. The one that
must make the improvement, how
ever, is the grower. He must know
the parentage of the ears. The stalk
is the mother parent; therefore selec-
tions should begin in the field.
The characters of the stalk are as
strongly hereditary as are the charac-
ters of the ear. The first step there
fore in improving corn in any given
locality is to select in the field
strong stalks, free of suckers
with well-developed leaves and
plenty of brace roots; ears not too high
from the ground, with moderately
long shank and heavy shuck, com
pletely drawn over the end of the ear.
Other characters may also be consider
ed, but these are the more important.
The tendency to sucker is hereditary,
and suckers are undesirable. The
leaves manufacture the materials that
build the stalk and ear, and should be
broad and strong. Strong stalks and
brace roots are of great value in re-
sisting storms. Ears that stand too
high from the ground, above the mid
die of the stalk. not only make the
stalk top-heavy and liable to prostra-
tion by winds, but indicate later ma
turity, and greater inconvenience in
gathering. In rich land and with the
the large varieties of corn about five
and half feet from the ground should
be the extreme height of ears.
1t is the judgment of the writer thai
over series of years the best results
will be secured by having the stalks
come into silk as near all at the same
time as possible. An approximate
idea of earliness or lateness, relatively
can be had by counting the joints il
the stalk between the ear and thu
ground-the larger number of joint
indicating later ear, with givel
nF oorr, A lprrr cbnply Jaci,,
ed in Louisiana because it affords
better weather protection. The ca
droops at maturity and the most favor
able watershed is provided. A heav
shuck is protection against birds anc
grain Weevils, both serious enemies t
corn throughout the state.
The softer the corn the more in
portant is heavy shuck, that pro
trudes we'll to completely cover tn
end of the ear.
The size of the ear is an importar
consideration, since we frequentl
have an abundance of rain about tn
time that corn natures. Excessivel
large ears dry out slowly and are az
to become moldy, causing injury
the grain for either feed or seed.
moderately long ear without excessiv
thickness is much to be desired. tt
number of ears per stalk that give Il
best results is a question unsettle
Presuming that we are not dealil
with any of the prolific types of corn,
Is the Judgment of the writer that
crop of corn with sixty to seventy p
rent of the stalks bearing one we
developed ear, and the remainder tN
ears, will give more satisfactory ]
sults under average conditions tn
can be secured by trying to establi
two ears. on every stalk. In ott
words. the number of ears in lar
+vnes of corn sdould not be prima
consideration. Others may think d
ferently on this point. 1t is my JUG
nent after much consideration, Il
r one desires more than one ear !
stalk on the majority of stalks,
would be better to go at once to so
of the established varieties of prol
corn. and improve that to suit
community conditions. The yield
the best prolific corns compares fav
ably with the large-eared varieti
However, the prolific corns have sn
ears, and somewhat more labor is
ouired to handle them. Some of