Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-24
FARMERS RAG BABIES.
Valuable Precaution Used For Test
ing Corn For Planting.


ing more than $500, 1000. 900 on their
corn crops every year. Maybe they
don't ksaow 1t, but they are And the
worst of it is that this enormous los;
could be prevented in such simple
and easy way that to follow it seems
like child's play.
Whats the natter" the farmers
exclaim.
The answer is simple: You don't
test your seed,''
why man alive" the farmer ex-
claims, don't you know that any
farmer can1tell good seed corn when
he sees it? Or if he can't tell by
the way ii looks, he can by cracking
it with his teeth or cutting it open
with jacknife.
1t is evident that something has
got to be done to get these fellows
ings, so far, have not had the de-
sired effect. They have been toe
much along the lines of the old
fashioned camp-meeting revival. A
small percentage of the farmers have
been brought to the mourners bench
so to speak, but the majority of them
have backslid, as converts have eveI
done.
Realizing that old fashioned meth
DDS must be supplemented by Some
thing new, the crop improvement
committee of the council of grain ex-
changes, who as body and as in
dividuals are as much interested in
the success or failure of the corn
crop as the farmer himself, set about
to devise ways and means for crack
he knows ii all because he has ''al-
ways done it that way" Finally
they hit it.
This is having it's effect. The
farmers are coming to realize the
value and practicability of the meth
DDS advocated by the crop improve
ment committee, and while some OF
them profess to scott at these meth
DDS. they are secretly putting them
into practice.
The method employed in the agri-
cultural kindergartens is the rag
baby test" The rag baby" bears
no relation to little Marys home
made doll. 1t is merely a simple
little device for testing seed corn
or any other kind of grain, and its
mysteries can be solved by any boy
or girl in few minutes.
= The rag baby test" is conducted
in the following manner: A piece Of
heavy sheeting II inches wide anc
four or five feet long is marked of
into a dozen or more squares about
three inches wide, running through
the center of the strip. The square.
are numbered say from l to H. Al
equal number of ears of corn are
selected for the test and are mum
bered to correspond with the squares
on the cloth. The cloth is then thor,
oughly moistened and spread out il
front of the ears to be tested. Fiv,
or six kernels are taken from eal
numbered one and placed in squar,
number one. and so on until all tn,
squares have been filed Then tn,
sides of the cloth are folded over 81
the edges will overlap in the cente
and the strip rolled up beginning a
either end. If the cloth is wei
mostened the kernels will not b.
displaced. After the cloth is rolle'
| up a string or rubber band is tiet
| loosely around each end, and the IRA,
baby" is finished. 1t is not necessar.
to limit the number of squares to Il
| From 20 to 80 ears can be tested il
each roll.
| After the roll is tied up ii is theI
| placed in bucket of water where
| is allowed to remain from to
hours, as the operator may prefer
The water is then poured off, the ro
| placed on couple of small pieces O
wood to keep it from touching tn
floor, and damp gunny sack place
| The bucket is then turned upsid
down over the roll, one edge of tn
pail being raised half an inch to Civ
ventilation.
| 1t is important that the corn sheul
be thoroughly moist, but not so we
| that seed viii smother. Care shoul
also be taken that the corn is nc
chilled. The best results will be Ok
tanned if it is kept in a temperatuI
of about 70 degrees AT the end {
four or five days the kernels shoul
begin TO sprout. The s'rag baby"
then opened up again, the kernels al
examined carefully and the boy
the boys father can see ait a glanC
which of the ears are good seed ar
which should be thrown away.--sT'eci
meal World.