Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1913-03-28
TESTING SEEDS

up and having TO plant over. | would
like to speak II word to our young
farmers of the Industrial Club and
tell them how they may avoid that
trouble again. How may this be
done! by testing the seed for germ
nation before planting.
First shall speak about testing
the seed corn. Suppose the ears tor
seed have been selected, or that the
seed you intend To- plant has been
bought. Get box about foot wide,
foot and half long and from two
to six inches deep. The size is not
material except for handling easily.
Fill the box with sand or sandy soil
and have it just moist enough to stick
together when squeezed in the hand.
Smooth the top and make firm. Lay
off in squares by stretching strings
across the top or by marking the sur
face--Squares about two inches each
way. This will give ifty-four
squares, enough space to test that
many ears of corn. Number the
squares and also the ears of corn.
Take ear No. |. and with knife
blade pry out two grains from near
the butt. two grains from near the
middle and two from near the tip,
but don't get the pairs of grains out
of the same or adjacent rows. Pick
the grains at random 50 they will
represent the vitality of the whole
ear. Insert these pairs of grains
ia the squares in the same order they
came off the ear Stick the little end
of the grains down and push them
into the soil till the crown end is level
with the surface. This will insure
the moisture getting To the germ. At
ter all the ears have been thus placed,
cover the grains with q damp cloth
and a gunny sack and pace in warm
room. The temperature at night
should not fall below fifty degrees
1t might run up 10 seventy-hvr ct
eighty in the day time. If the work
is well done and the corn j. good. III,
roots f the corn ought To be from
a half to an inch long in six days
II the grain Is very Vigorous, the root
may be- longer and the little plumul,
beginning to show. The ears thai
have not sprouted, or whose sprout.
are less than a half inch long, shout,
be rejected as poor.
This germinator will also do 10
kathr corn, milo, oats and peanuts
For convenience IN observing the kat
fir and milo. it il well to spread
piece of damp cloth Oh the dirt, mari
tins into squares and put the seed
on the cloth. Then cover the seed
with damp cloth and a gunny sack
II the cloth looks dry in two or thre
day. sprinkle it with warm water
Select 70 dozen seed, from diftereu
parts of the heads. [ the heads az
,o he used for seed II the kafhr o
milo J. shellc9, run your hand mt
the sack. pull out % handful and the
count from one to five hundred iu-
"a, they come. Place these IN IN
germinator aud test
For small grain, two dinner plate
and some blottins paper or pieces o
damp cloth to hold the moisture max
20 splendid germinator You will huN
to examine it every day OF two to b
sure the cloths do not gel dry an,
spoil your test.
Before terminating oats 1t j, wrI
lo treat it for smut. One of the bcs
aud easiest Treatments j. turmalin
10 per cent iormaIdchydr C,c !
at the rate of one pound 10 fifty gal
lon, of water. You will not nee
fifty gallons. however, for that wi
treat about fifty bushels of oat,
u'c-tculh ot a pound and five gal
Ions of water will be- plenty for fou
or five bu-hcl- Either soak the oat
in this solution for thirty minute, .
sprinkle the liquid on the oai-. turn
ing the oats with q shovel 800 tn
while like mixing up mortar. Whc
thoroughly wet. spread some gum
sack over them and let stand ia
two or three hours. then spread ou
to dry. When the oats are dry, cour
out a hundred grains and place in tn
lester Ia terminate. To tell whethr
or not you have injured the -crmiua
ton by the formalin treatment. it
we'll 10 terminate a hundred seed
that have not been treated right alou
with those that have been treated.
The same formahn treatment vi
do for the potatoes if there l. an
likelihood of potato scab. ! woul
advise treating the potatoes even
no scabby ones are among the see'
The scab may be there and yet 20
moi see it. Treat the potatoes an
be sure of a nice smooth crop.
This testing and treating seeds b,
fore planting will greatly increas