The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-01-28
SELECTING SEED CORN.
Something For Farmers TO Consider, That
The Best Results May Be Obtained.
WHICH EARS TO PLANT.


| From Bedford Gazette.
For the ten years ending in 1905 the
average yield per acre for corn land
as reported by the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, was as fol-
lows Maine. 35.l3 bushels; Pennsyl-
vania, 1852 bushels; Illinois, "a 40
bushels; Iowa, 32I4 bushels. These
compiled statistics would seem to ex-
plode the theory that soil and climatic
conditions are unfavorable to high
corn yields here. Maine, with much
shorter season, outyields Pennsylva-
mia, which in turn outyields the two
great states of the West.
To get closer to the question. One
farmer, with equally good soil, raises
so bushels of ears: his neighbor raises
80. OF course some of this difference
may be accounted for by the methods
Of farming but, in a broad, general
sense. this wide difference is all in the
seed
The inherited quality of corn to yield
heavily or poorly all comes in the the
pounds, more or less, of seed planted.
Experiments conducted by the Iowa
Agricultural College with over 100 va
rieties of seed corn furnished by the
farmers close to Ames, Ia, resulting
in productions ranging from 20 BUSH
els of sbell9d corn to almost 100 BUSH
els per acre. AS said in the report
on this result. "The expense of grow
ing an acre was the same; the best
seed produced fully four times as much
corn, of better quality, than did the
other lots of inferior corn"
In former article / have called at.
tentiOn to the difference in Weld of
larger cared corn as compared with
smaller, that is, of corn with larger
circumference OF ear. An easier way
to get at the question, in selecting
seed corn, is the comparative weight
of the seed ears.
Corn planted 3x4 feet, or, if drilled,
rows feet and corn foot apart in
drill makes at , stalks to hill, 1860
stalks, at stalks, 10,S90 stalks.
The following figures show the ex-
ira bushels of 10 pounds per acre, re-
sulting from an average extra weight,
as follows:
Extra Weight Stalks 3 Stalks
! or. per ear 30 bus. 40 bus.
OF per ear 6.5 bus. 81 bus
OF. per ear 13 bus. 10 bus.
have before me at this time three
ears of different kinds, but all OF
equal length, Of good form, and we'll
dried. The smallest is 69 inches in
circumference. the largest and heav-
lest II inches. Their weight is as fol-
lows: Smallest II 5 o., medium l3
oz., largest II OF. There is a maxi
mum field difference of 43 I bushels of
10 pounds per acre. Practically they
represent, in addition, high-grade
feeding corn, showing breeding in
every line, as against corn that
faulted badly in the field and yield
ed only As bushels of ears per acre of
inferior corn on good corn ground,
while the better corn is from stock
with pedigreed record of ll9 s BUSH
els of shelled corn per acre. This lat
ter corn mas been tried out here and
is safe corn to plant: so are a num-
Der of other strains that have been
bred carefully for years.
But, about that neighbor whose
yield is so much better than yours. If
you do not want to start brand new
strain of pure-bred corn, why not get
some seed from the neighbor and test
it out? Or, maybe there is someone
| further of who has q corn that has
been making records. Why not get
some of his corn? But do not forget
to weigh the ears. And II the differ
ence in feeding value. weight, etc., is
in favor of the neighbours corn, be
thankful that you have such neigh
Dor, get some Of his seed, test it, and
then plant it. 1t would be much better
to start pure-bred corn and cut the
cross-breeds out-they are bad lot,
and there are few fields that show on
the face an undisturbed percentage
Suppose the new corn costs you
~. 30 bushel. That means that the
extra cost for eight acres of corn
planted is about % cents per acre. An
increase OF less that a bushel OF ears
will more than pay back this cost and
leave you supplied with better strain
of corn for years 70 come. The one
thing on the farm that must not b,
subjected to the rigid rule of economy
is seed. Better seed means bettel
crops; scrub seed means trouble, dis
appointment, and loss of money,
A. b. Ross.
AAyC rHADEI