Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-05-03

fore, to plan. on having the rows
Is rods long, or better still, two
rows eight rods long for each ear to
be tested. If 100 ears are selected
and eight-rod rows are made there
will We 200 rows In all, or with zoe
ears and the rows 16 rods In length
there will also be 200 rows. In these
check rows corn Of which is null
tple of FIVE should be check row.
In these check rows corn Of some uni
form variety should be planted for
comparison with the regular breed
ing rows to determine any variation
that may exist in the soil. It is self
evident that as uniform a piece OF
land as can be secured should be SO
lected for this purpose; otherwise the
yields from the dinerent rows will
not be comparable. Similarly, the
rows should all be planted on the
same day. the soil prepared in the
same manner, and cultivation Of the
different rows should, Of course. also
be done on the Same days. At harvest
time each row. or each two rows as
the case may be, must be husked and
weighed separately. Twenty-Five pei
cent of the highest yielding rows
should then be selected. That &C.
complished, the original seed ears
corresponding to them which still
contain half Of the kernels on each
ear, are to be kept for the second
years breeding lot.
All the ears of the first years
seed plot may be used as seed for
the general crop the following year.
If 100 ears were selected from the
first years test 1t is evident that
there will be Is rows for the second
years test, or II 200 ears were used
the first year there Will be so rows
for the second test. The remaining
kernels Of the rs to so original ears
corresponding to the highest yielding
rows Of the first year should be plant
ed the second year In breeding plot
similar to that Of the first year. AT
harvest time these rows should again
be husked and weighed separately.
It will be found that during the sec
ond years test not all the ears that
produced high yields the first year
will produce high yields. the second.
It will be found, however, that some
of the ears that produced high yields
the first year will also yield we'll the
second year, and they are the ones
that should be used the third year as
increase ears for the future"
Prof. Bowman Talks.
II believe the possibilities Of this
seed patch plan are immense" de-
clared Professor M. L. Bowman, sec
rotary of the Iowa State Corn Grow
ers' Association. Heretofore, we
have paid no attention to corn breed
ing. Farmers have thought little OF
nothing Of paying 5000 or $500, OF
even $1,000, for good live stock, In or
der to build up tho standard and the
type Of their herds, but they have
thought 81. or 50, or IS for bushel
of seed corn was outrageous.
1--WE must learn to breed corn just
as we do animals. The silk Is the fe
male and the tassel Is the male. There
Is a silk produced for every kernel on
the ear of corn, and there are between
forty and fifty million pollen grains
on each tassel. One pollen grain II
sufficient to fertilize one silk. Now,
in this seed patch, we must SEQ to II
that no sickly, puny stalk OF corn
Is allowed to grow up to produce tas
sells to pollenate q good, strong and
vigorous mother plant. The sins OF
the fathers are visited on the children
to the third and fourth generations
In corn as well as In human beings
Along early in the summer the farm
er should take a sharp knife and 60
out into this seed patch and cut down
every stalk Of corn that does not
give evidence Of bearing good ear
This will keep some strong, vigorous
mother plant from being pollenated
by worthless stalk, and will dis
pense with the runty ears Of corn
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