The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-12-04
s. C. EXPERIMENT STATION
Extension Article No. 96-Care OF
Seed Corn

II has come to the notice Of the
Station that from time to time in the
spring on a number Of farms in the
State there is a scarcity of good seed
corn. The question Of how to prevent
such a deplorable condition then
Irises, and the usual advice given for
meeting this poor seed corn situation
is to test the terminating power OF
each ear. This is good advice when 1t
does not become a yearly habit; but,
the termination test is very dlscour-
aging unless the seed corn Is gather
ed and dried early in the fall, thus
causing the seed to retain full pro-
%ductiveness which the termination
test cannot restore or even properly
reveal. No matter how carefully the
seed corn may be tested in the spring,
the best seed and the highest vitality
cannot be had unless selection OF ma
ture seed that have all the character
!stics of a good yielding, acclimated
variety, has begun in the fall n
rood care taken of it during the win
ter.
1t has been demonstrated that the
early fall use of seed corn racks Will
increase the acre yield of corn by
several bushels on practically all
farms. The initial cost is slight n
The racks can be used for a life time
when properly taken care OF and stor-
ed away when not in use. The sure
way for the farmer to avoid using
and and labor in planting seed OF re-
1uced productiveness is by selecting
seed early and caring for it. A small
house could be built on each farm SO
that all seed for spring planting
could be kept therein. Such a house
sould be we'll ventilated and 80 con-
;tructed as to be inaccessible to rats
md mice. This could be done by In
Jerting a common galvanized pan over
the pillars. Then beginning about z
Or 8 feet from the wall a tier OF
shelves is built upward from the
floor. These shelves are made prefer
ably of stats instead of solid plank SO
as to allow of sufficient ventilation
between the ears. About 6 inches from
this tier another tier Of Slated
shelves is built and sc onin pairs across
the room. Two or three feet is left
between each pair of tiers to permit
a man with a basket to pass through
placing the ears on the shelves. The
husked Ears are placed on THESE
shelves after selection in early fall'
and will soon dry out, thus lessenlng
all danger Of freezing and thereby
loss of vitality Of seed in spring.
A cheaper initial cost can be a
bv stringing heavy wire 1 IL feet
apart across from one side OF the
building or in any dry, well ventilated
house on the farm and hanging the
corn up to these wires by means OF
a double string. The ears are lald IN
the two strings which are then cross
| cd. another ear put on, and so on un-
I'll the string of Ears is just about two
feet from the floor when tied TO the
overhead wire. This method permits
of perfect ventilation between ears
but the weight of the undried corn
sometimes breaks the wire or pulls
il out from its ~fastenings.
Another method in common use Is
10 use the upright wires OF an ola
| electrically welded wire fence. The
| dia gonal wires are cut off snort
enough to reach about IL the length
of ear. and the ears of corn are stuck
on these diagonal wires, tips upward;
| Usually these wires are bent upward
at a slight angle to give firmer sup,
mort for the ear. These wires should
be hung on a supporting wire in case
as of the strings. When the building
in which they are stored is PROOF
against rodents, these wires can be
hung on nails from the cross pieces.
Any one of these methods insures
the farmer against moldy, diseased
corn. and against seed of low vitality
caused by alternate freezing and neat
ing.
F. H. JETER,