Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-11-17
Select Your Seed Corn Now.


Every Missouri farmer should gather
his seed corn this fall in the field in
stead of waiting until spring and taking
it from the crib just before planting
time. A day or two spent now in getting
seed for next year will be the best in.
vestment that the corr grower can make.
Seed corn should be gathered early in
the fall after 1t is thoroughly mature
but before heavy freezes occur. If dried
out we'll freezing weather does no per.
ceptible injury to seed corn but where
not thoroughly dried considerable injury
is done by freezing. Last spring the
Experiment Station secured samples of
corn from farmers near Columbia that
had been gathered early and samples Of
the same corn that had been allowed to
stand on the stalks until the latter part
of January. These samples were tested
for termination in the Seed Testing
Laboratory. The corn gathered early
terminated ninety five per cent while
that which stood OH the field until Jan.
uary terminated only sixty.fve per cent.
One of the best methods of gathering
iced corn is to 70 through the field with
a sack and get the best ears from the
best stalks. Select eers about nine and
one. half to ten and one-half inches long,
seven to seven and one.half inches
around, with straight rows Of deep and
uniform kernels, and we'll filled butts
and tips. Get these ears from good
strong healthy stalks that stand up we'll
and preferably from hills with two or
three stalks
Another method commonly used is to
have a box OIL the wagon bed into which
the good ears can be thrown while gath.
.ring the corn. The chief objection &c
this method is that a man is usually
thinking more about getting the wagon
box filled and the corn into the crib than
of selecting seed corn and SO many OF
the best ears are overlooked.
The object Of both methods is to get
the best ears and to get them early in the
fall. After the corn is gathered it should
be handled in such a manne as to dry
out thoroughly before freezing weather.
This can be easily done by making racks
in which the ears may be placed and
swung up in the granary OF barn where
mice will not get to it. If the corn is
stored in barrels or piled mp it will not
dry out nearly so we'll as If stored in
racks and when freezing weather comes
on it will be injured. Another conven-
lent way Of storing corn is to take a
board, say ten by twenty inches, and
drive twelvepenny casing nails through
it from both sides three inches apart
each way and stick the ears on these
nails. Any kind Of boards Of any size
will do. A board of this size is conven-
lent and viii, hold eighty -four ears
enough to make a bushel Of good seed
corn. Bore a hole In the top Of this
hoard and suspend with a wire.
The principle to be remembered in car
ing for seed corr is to gatheri it early
and dry It out we'll before freezing wealth
er. If every Missouri farmer would
handle his seed corr in this way the
| yield Of corn in this state would be in.
creased at least ten per cent. The ave.
age yield Of corr per acre in Missouri
for the last ten years has been % bushels
This increase applied to the 7.0O0,OO(
acres grown every year would mean 10,
6oO, 900 bushels, which is worth $500
OOO.
c. B. HUTCHINSON.
College OF Agriculture.
Agricultural Experiment Station,