The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-08-26
SEED CORN.
South Dakota Experiment Stati On
Issues Bulletin.
SEED CORN DAY-WHEN2

Issues Bulletin.
SEED CORN DAY-WHEN?
September 10th. Why Sep
tember 10th, when the average
date for the last killing frost is
September 3Oth? Because a few
years ago the first killing frost
was September 18th. Can we
afford to take chances on our
seed corn? No, because it means
too much. Last spring there
was a great deal of inferior corn
In South Dakota. Why? To
what was it due? Mostly to care
lessness on the part of we farm
ers. Oftentimes we believe it is
more thoughtlessness than it is
careleSSness.
WHAT SHALL WE DO?
Make a good selection. By
this we mean the practice of Sc
curing from the available stock
OF corn the most ideal ears pos
sible, and using those for seed.
Ideas may vary as to what an
ideal ear is, but when we say we
want for seed the ear which,
when placed in the field under
average conditions, will produce
the greatest amount of good,
marketable corn the coming sea
son, every one will agree. Our
selection should be based on this
ideal.
WHERE SHALL WE MAKE THE
SELECTION!
In the field. When? Before
September 18th. We know that
all ears matured at this date will
in all probability be ripe the
same time the following season.
Remember that like begets like.
HOW SHALL l MAKE sELEcrroN2
Throw a bag over your shoul-
der, go out mot the field, look
first at the stalks on which the
ears are borne. Do they show
strength, are they large at the
base, do the leaves show good
color, etc. Then examine the
ears. Are the shanks large and
strong, SO that the ear is held in
an upright position? If SO do
not select these ears, because
they are in the best possible 20
sition to catch all of the rain.
The result will be a frozen ear
upon very slight provocation.
Ii the shanks are slightly bent
so as to allow the ears to keep a
nice angle, an angle which
throws the husks in position to
protect the ear from catching
the rain, would select these
ears. Shall we select the ear
from a large or small shank?
Neither one Make the selection
from modern size shank, as this
allows easy huskisg. Be sure
and select the ears not too high
from the ground, as this means
late maturity.
HOW MUCH SHALL l SELECT.
A forty acre field requires
about six bushels of seed, if
there is no replanting to be done.
80 to be on the safe side select at
least ten bushels for each forty
acres you expect to plant. This
will give sufficient seed to guard
against accidents that might oc-
eur.
W HAT SHASL DO WITH IT WHEN
l BRING IT IN FROM THE FIELD9
Place it where it will dry in
the shortest time possible. A
good plum is the old one of tying
them in lots by strings and hang
ng in the summer kitchen where
there is no steam or in the attic
above the stove-pipe. The attic
$ good place, because it has a
good circulation of air and it will
De protected from the hard freez-
ng.
Prof. Holden says: the advant
ages of this method Of storing
ire first, that it gives better
protection from mice than where
It is spread upon the floor or
corded in piles or put in rack.
Second, it gives better circula-
tion of air, which allows the corn
to dry out quickly and thorough
", thus protectingit from mould
ing and sprouting and from be-
ing frozen while it is sappy. The
greatest enemy to good seed corn
is freezing while it contains mois-
ture."