Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-09-20
HOW TO SELECT AND
CARE FOR SEED CORN
SUPERINTENDENT STONER GIVES D!.
RECTI0NS FOR ATTENDING TO THIS
IMPORTANT MATTER.


that was sustained in South Dako-
kota the present year by planting
poor seed corn. If the loss could
be computed, it would run up into
the millions of bushels. Ask al
most any farmer why he has such
a poor stand of corn and he will,
nearly invariably, answer you in a
single word" Cut-worms.
Well, cut-worms have destroyed
thousands of acres of corn this year
but all the poor stands can not be
laid at his door. Poor seed has
probably had as much to do with
poor stands as have that of cut
worms. 1t is much more easy to
control the seed than it is to con-
troll cut-Worms. An article will
soon appear in these columns on
"Cut-worms.' . For the present
wish to consider the question Of
good seed corn.
The first essential in securing
good seed corn is to select ears that
have gotten ripe prior to the aver
age time of our first frost. In the
central part of the state the first
frost Usually occurs about Septem-
Der 18th. Seed corn in that. part
of the state should therefore be Sc
lected prior to that date. II it
does not frost until October Ist,
and seed orn1picking is deferred
until that time many ears will be
selected that were not ripe at the
average time of the frost and the
probabilities are that the plants
from these ears will all get nipped
by frost the following year. E. The
tendency is to select the largest
ears. The largest ears get ripe last
and if one waits until after the first
frost to select his seed corn, if frost
comes later than usual, he is very
liable to have his corn frost bitten.
In selecting an ear of seed corn
from the stalk, remember that all
the corn from that ear next year
will resemble very closely the
characteristics of the seed ear. If
it grew on a large stalk, nearly all
the stalks next year will be large;
if the ear has long shank, practi-
cally all the shanks will be long
next year; if the seed ear droops on
the stalk, all of its progeny will
droop. In short the characterize
les of the entire plant will be re
fected in next years crop.
Select all ear that is ripe. Sc
lect an ear that is growing on a
stock just high enough to husk
easily. Select an ear that droops
enough to shed water easily. Sc
lect an ear that is filled out we'll on
the tip and the butt.
The next, and most important
step OF all, is to thoroughly dry it.
Do not throw it down in pile to
dry because if you do it will heat
and its termination will then be
poorer than crib corn. A good
plan is to tie the ears together with
stout cord and hang them in an
airy place where they will rapidly
dry out. But in tying them care
should be taken that the ears do
not touch each other. There are
many seed corn racks on the mar
ket at this time. They are all
good and serve their purpose ad-
After the seed is thoroughly dry
it should never be allowed to be-
come damp afterward. Freezing
damp corn is what kills the germ. |
1t should be stored for winter in
the driest place on the premises.
Hard freezing will not injure per-
fectly dry seed corn. Light freez-
ing will injure damp seed corn.