Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-03-29
CORN IMPROVEMENT.

A good seed bed cannot be empha-
sized too strongly. as it is very essen
tial that we have a good rich, deep
and mellow seed bed where the plants
can spread their roots TO gather ncur-
ishment. There should also be in the
soil a sufficient supply Of plant food
for the plants to feed upon.
The environments and conditions of
the plant and soil should be looked
after very carefully; see that the soil
does not become packed by the rain
Or baked by the sun. or allowed to
grow weeds which are very apt to hin
der the growth of the corn. A good
system Of crop rotation should be
practiced to nd the land of weeds an
other injurious insect enemies that
are harmful.
Selection Of Seed.
Selecting good seed at harvest time
and making study Of the character
istics Of each individual stalk and ear
is OF vital Importance. AS it is evil
dent that quality and quantity of
grain on the ear is dependent upon
the stalk that bears it and the secret
of good crops lies largely in the selec.
ton of good seed.
Having our seed selected, the next
step of importance is to exercise eau
ton in caring for it from the time it
is gathered until it is planted. 1t
should be tied together with string
and hung up in a we'll lighted and
VENTILATED room that is free from mois
tune, rats and mice.
Testing the Seed.
A few months before planting, an
other careful selection of each ear
should be made, discarding those ears
that do not conform to our standard.
The ears that are to be planted
should now be tested to determine
the vitality and vigor OF each ear
This may be done by taking four on
six kernels from each ear, soaking
in water for at least a day, then
placing them in a shallow box filled
half full of moist sawdust or dirt GOV
cred with a white cloth marked of
in squares, placing the kernels OF one
ear in each square, then covering a
gain with another cloth and Sawdust
In a few days they should be exam
ined and the ears whose kernels show
a weak vitality should be discarded
at once.
Breeding Plat.
Another very successful method
that has proven a great aid in the
Improvement of corn is a breeding
plat, or the ear-to-the-row.method. Sc.
lect a desirable number of the very
best ears and plant each ear in a sep
arate row, planting three kernels to
the hill. A record should be kept Of
each ear and row so you can at the
end of the season compare the pro-
duction of each, ear. The breeding
plat should be located some distance
from the other corn field to prevent
the corn from mixing.
After the tasSeB appear, and before
the pollen begins to fail, go through
the plat and deassel every alternate
row to prevent inbreeding. | would
advise pulling out the tassels in
stead Of cutting with knife.
All seed used for the next years
crop and breeding plat should be Sell
ected from the detasseled rows that
gave the highest yield and conform
ed the nearest to our ideal.
Selecting for Eariness.
To improve the early maturing quail
tiles go through this plat and pick
those ears that mature first. This
should be done just before the corn
is ready to cut.
It is evident that a farmer cam by
a careful selection materially change
the constituents of his corn, thus
growing a corn that Is of a higher
feeding value for his farm animals.
This can be done by taking a kernel
from the desirable ear, cutting with
a jack knife from the tip to crown
OF the kernel The hager part Of the
protein is found in the hard, horny
portion known as the horny starch.
To determine the per cent Of oil, cut
the kernel crossways about one-third
the distance from the tip, then note
the thickness Of the germ. 1t is the
protein and oil that we are after to
improve the feeding qualities. So the
more hard, horny starch and large
the. germ We can get, the better.
Planting those ears that show
large per cent OF protein and oil, we
can expect to grow see that is also
high In protein and oil Altar making