Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-17
SEED TESTER GOES TO WORK
Machine for Determining Fitness Of
Corn in Operation.
FARMERS JOIN IN THE CRUSADE
send Much seed 60 the Commercial
Club, which IL Leading In This
Movement to Increase the
Harveats,

Movement TO Increase h
Harvests.
The Commercial clubs corn seed tester
has begun its part in this crusade for
purer kernels as a means Of increasing
the harvests in Nebraska. The farmers are
taking hold OF the movement and are send
ing much seed to be tested.
Farmers may test their own corn by
securing termination boxes at home. The
rules for a terminating box are simple.
Secure any box about two by three feet
square with a depth OF six inches or more.
Fill half full Of wet soil or sand or saw
dust.
Rule off a piece Of cloth in checkerboard
fashion with one and one-half-inch squares
and lay this cloth over the dirt or sand or
sawdust. Number the squares and lay out
the corn TO be tested according to the
numbers. Take six kernels Of corn from
different parts of the ear and place the
six kernels on each square. Lay another
cloth over the grain and cover with two
or three inches OF moist soil. Keep the
box in a warm place where Mt win not
freeze for from four to six days, until
the corn begins to terminate. One box
should test enough corn to plant twenty
acres.
When the corn does not sprout It is
surely not fit to plant. To go further it is
necessary to pick out the corn for seed
which shows the oest root system. Some
corn will sprout upward, but will have no
root system.
E. G. Montgomery, head Of the expert
mental agromomy department at the Uni
versity of Nebraska, who has been looking
into the matter OF seed corn in Nebraska,
says the conditions seem to be especially
bad in the Northeastern part of the state,
He says the corn was generally frozen
too early by the October freeze this year
and in the southern part of the state the
growth of the corn was cut short by the
summer drouth.
Bankers Take Up the Fight.
Omaha and South Omaha banker have
taken up the crusade. They have sent, these
letters to anker OF all towns in the state
| together with enclosures telling how to
test seed corn:
The Commercial club of Omaha has spent
much time and made a careful investiga-
ton conceyning the necessity for testing
seed corn for planting this year and has
submitted to us the enclosed communica-
ton.
This matter seems to be of sufficient
Importance to warrant the banks Of this
state in cooperating with the club in the
forwarding of the movement.
Please devote all the time you can during
the next thirty days to placing the matter
before the farmers of your vicinity In
every possible way. You will find enclosed
several copies of an article explaining the
method of testing seed corn. More will
be sent upon application.
Your help toward interesting the editor
of your local paper in this campaign Is es-
pecially requested. Quick and concerted
action is necessary to gain results IN this
years crop.
OMAHA CLEARING HOUSE AssoCIA-
FIRST NATIONAL BANK.
OMAHA NATIONAL BANK.
NEBRASKA NATIONAL BANK.
MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK.
UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK.
UNION STOCK YARDS NATIONAL
soTTH OMAHA NATIONAL BANK.
PACKERS NATIONAL BANK.
CITY NATIONAL BANK.
OMAHA. Feb. I5.GGentlemeni According
to the best authorities and those who have
made hundreds of tests of the seed corr
which Nebraska farmers intend to plant
this year, not one-half of 1t Is fiji. to pu,
into the ground. 1t will not grow: that
which sprouts has no roots.
Think what this means to the farmers OF
this state, who plant $500, 900 acres of corn
and only a small number test the seed.
One ear contains about 1000 kernels. Each
kernel should produce one stalk, each stalk
an car. n u6uu car pldhlSu Ilcdlb Ai5 iOos
OF LOCO ears, twelve and one-half bushels
Of corn.
Apparently it is going to take the com
bined efforts of every banker, implement
dealer, grain buyer and newspaper man
10 the state TO get the farmers to test
their seed corn this year. Unless such q
campaign begins at once and Is carried
or up to the last m the corn will not
be tested.
While some farmers laugh at the idea OF
a corn crop failure in Nebraska, 1t Is a fact
that Nebraska faces just such a situation,
Farmers do not know the true condition OF
their seed corn. Investigation shows even
that hung away last fall was not matured
sufflciently-t has not strong terminating
power right now.
Anyway 1t can be figured the planting OF
INFESTED seed menas an enormous loss-the
same as reducing the acreage of the state
at least LOIS, 600 acres or a failure to pro-
ducc from q, 100000 to 80, 0O0,OOO bushels OF
corn.
The country newspapers are TO be sup
piled with the most authoritative state
ments about the situation and with a short
article telling how to test seed corn. Some
Of this material may not be used unless
the editor is interested. If possible have
a talk with the publishers Of your papers
and get them to publish this material.
There Is only time In the next thirty days
to get the farmers interested and get them
to test their seed corn. This is an oppor-
unity to do some personal work and
greatly increase the wealth OF Nebraska
in fact, save the state from enormous loss
] az a critical fine