The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-03-12
TESTING SEED CORN.
Mr.. =. o. Eaddy Tells How IL Can BE
Done Cheaply.

by a number of farmers to state my
method of testing seed corn. I again
beg some space.
Make a box three feet by four feet
with a depth of six inches. Take a
piece OF thin yard wide yellow home
spun four feet long and prepare same
by marking, with ink. into checks
three inches square and then number
ing each check. This will give 1872
checks. which will be sufficient for
192 ears. Cut 1872 small pieces of pa
per with which to label the ears. and
number same to correspond with the
numbers OF the checks.
Now carefully select your seed ears,
but let me stop the proceeding long
enough TO make some suggestions:
Do not accept any ears which are not
well rounded at both butt and tip.
Use no ears which will show wide
spaces between the rows OF kernels
Kernels with small hearts are gen.
orally OF weak vitality; therefore, dis
card such. Kernels which are loose
on cob or which are very wedge shap-
ed indicate inferiority.
SO. with box, cloth, labels, and ears
you are ready to proceed as follows:
Fill the box TO a depth OF three inches
with reasonably damp soil. Spread
cloth over soil inside OF box and tack
edges to box to hold cloth steady,
tplace checked side up). 1 forgot to
say that the ears should be "nubb-off"
at both ends. as Is ordinarily done be-
fore shelling, so as to remove imma-
ture and affected kernels.
Now, from one side Of the ear ex-
tract one kernel. from each end and
one from the middle. then turn ear
over and repat operation. which will
give six kernels. Place these in Check
No. I. Then label the ear with La
bel No. by fastening with a pin to
end Of ear.
Perform the operation with each
ear. labelling each, to corresponding
check. then place the ears where no
rats can reach. In placing the ker-
nels either turn all hearts down or
turn all up.
Next spread piece Of cheese cloth
or something very thin like MOSQUITO
netting, on the kernels. then put soil
on top Of this cloth to depth of two
inches; and the test box is ready to
be placed In some warm spot, where
the sunshine has free access to II. Bet
ter protect the box from northwinds
so as TO hasten termination.
In about two weeks the stems will
be two or three inches high. Place
box on incline and gently wash soil
from cloth by pouring water. Now
with knife or scissors. cut the cloths
so as to separate each check from the
others-better sparate one Of the
checks at time as you proceed to ex-
anime them. Some Judgment must
be used In examining the checks,
which will be something like the fol-
lowing: II check shows all six
healthy stems and roots score the
check 100 per ce I. on the card which
you are to use TO keep score A sheet
OF paper Is all that Is needed for
s, ore card.
n check shows three healthy
stems score that one fifty per cent.
III "a check shows tour healthy stems
AMI two inferior stems then ii ~h>uld
~ scored, 50, about 7C er cor \
i'ile practice will soon enable you To
sore each check ju lic;ously. Elrh
nea'Ihy stem will represent near'v II
per cent (accurate 1G 2-3 per GO H.
counting 100 as the best
When this work is completed, sep
arate your ears by the corresponding
rLmbers and place ali ears wh:,h
prove 90 to 100 per cent. togeths' az
seec No. 1. Use ears showing ;r m
T5 TO 50 per cent as seed No. 9. All
ears showing less than 70 per ceut
should he discarded as unfit TO plant
In fact No. seed should not be plant
ed unless 1t becomes necessary after
No. I seed becomes exhausted
have thus tested my seed for the
past two years and have made several
experiments which. in part, gave these
results:
Corn planted from 100 per cent
seed produced six bushels more than
did that planted from 75 per cent
seed. per acre. one half of the kerr
nels from a 40 per cent ear failed TO
Germinate when planted in the field:
one tenth OF the kernels from a 75
fnil Il.