The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-08-17

Corn is one of the easiest plants
to modify with which the farmer has
to deal, and there is no plant that
will respond more quickly to intelli-
gent efforts at improvement. Corn
is also very susceptible to the effect
of a change of climatic or soil con-
ditions; hence, it is very difficult to
predict that the best variety at one
place will prove to be the best in
another locality. Owing to these
facts we are liable to many disap-
pointments in purchasing new yarie-
ties of corn, and this emphasizes the
Importance of at least one farmer in
each community making it a bust
ness to select his seed corn with
view to obtaining the best variety
for his section. In fact, this i'm
provement of corn by selection is so
simple that there is no reason why
each farmer should not give it his
attention. Unless this is done seed
will soon deteriOrate and it will be
necessary to purchase improved seed
corn if it is desired to obtain the
best results Farmers Bulletin No.
229 entitled The Production of
Good Seed Corn" is a treatise on
the selection and care of seed corn
which should be in the hands of ev-
cry farmer.
The following is a brief outline
of just how to select seed corn:
The corn it is desired to improve
should be planted on a specially pre-
pared plat and well cultivated.
through the field and remove all
plants that have not started an ear.
After this and before harvesting go
through the plat carefully and select
the best stalks, marking them so
they can be readily distinguished.
An ideal stalk is one without suck
ers, thick at base, with well-devel-
Oped roots, as shown by its vigorous
growth, and bearing a good ear or
ears about 4 feet from the ground, +.
The stalk when mature should be
between s and 10 feet high.
If it is desired to produce an early
variety only those stalks that ma
ture first should be marked.
Select stalks that are free from
smut or disease and are not in the
immediate neighbOrhood of other
diseased stalks. The stalk should
have two good ears upon shanks 4
or > inches long, and these ears
should show a decided tendency to
turn down.
As soon as the corn is sufficiently
dry it should he carefully gathered .
and housed. In gathering for seed /.
gather only from the selected stalks
that have two ears. If there are two
good ears on a stalk take both. If /.
one is poor select only the good one.
Gather for seed only those ears that
have the end well covered with
elose-fitting shuck. as this is a very
effective protection against the Wee
vii. Store the ears in a cool. dry.
well-ventilated place and not in too
great a bulk, 50 there will be no
danger of heating. Seed corn should
also be kent from freezing.
When tie opportunity presents it
self during the winter this seed corn
should be carefully shucked and the
best ears selected
The Ideal Ear.
An ideal ear of corn is nearly
cylindrical in shape, tapering only
slightly from the butt to the tip.
The tip should be fairly abrupt. The
rows Of corn should be straight and
compact, commencing close to the
shank and extending clear over the
end of the cob to the tip. The cob
should be of medium size, about one
half the diameter of the ear at
distance of one-third from the base,
and the length of the ear should be
about four times its diameter Ex-
ira large or extra long ears should
be avoided as much as small ears
The grains of the ear should be of
uniform size and should fit snugly
They should be fairly long, nearly