The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-13
Seed Testing All-Impor-
tant Consideration to
Insure Bigger Yield.
FEW INSTRUCTIONS
HERE SUBMITTED.
Care Taken in Time in Matter Of
Testing the Seed Corn Will
Save the Crop and Great
Deal of Worry-Harvest
Depends on Good Seed.
Views of Experts.

whoever could make two ears OF corn
or two blades of grass grow upon a
spot of ground where only one grew
before, would deseyvc better OF man.
kind, and he would do more essential
service to his country than the whole
race of politicians put togethcr."-Dean
Swift,
Now that YOU are getting ready to-
plant your corn. this is the time to
make sure of Your crop this fall, or
as soon as YOU can. taking into account
the clements and the season. You can
hcip nature by providing the proper
seed; seed That viii northumberland
stand of corn. How can YOU help
more, than by testing every ear OF
corn from which YOU take Your seed
that YOU now intend to plant? Tho
four fundamental conditions that are
OF vital Importance in the production
OF Il profitable corn crop are: fertile
land. good seed bed, thorough cul.
tivation and good seed.
Perfect Seed or No Harvest.
Good seed Is the question that should
interest every farmer who intends to
grow any corn, no matter whether its
be large acreage Or only small
patch. because what is the use OF
farmer spending the time and money
planting and cultivating Il crop during
the spring and summer months to only
reap n half harvest in the fall, and
simply because he did not make sure
that his seed was the best, and that
1t would germinate? You know what
1T means to walk through a field after
1t has cor,c up to find nothing in every
other hill or SO. and many with only
onet stalk growing. Think what it
would mean In your profits If every
hill had it's allotted healthy stalks
represented The only way to be sure
that your seed will grow Is to test
1t before planting time, and you must
test every ear. y good healthy look
ing car of corn may not test as we'll as
less favorable appca ring sample. This
has been proven many times by the
test. The way TO be sure oc. the best
seed is To be careful in the fall and
pick Sour seed at the proper time. and
then sec to 1t that 1t is properly stored
during the winter months; but the time
for that part Of the work is passed
and gone. All You can do now is to
pick your best and test 1t.
Then. too. 1t does not matter where
YOU live. how early you selected your
seed corn. nor how we'll you stored it
and cared for II. The only safe way is
TO test every ear now before planting
time. Many careful corn growers have
found that generally only part of the
ear is dead--it may he the butt or one
side. This makes it highly essentiul
that at least six Kernels taken from
the termination test. The value OF.
testing becomes apparent when we re-
alze that an increase OF from to 10
per cent is frequently secured in the
yield.
The Best Way To Test.
The testing OF every ear that Is to
be used as seed is not such IA difficult
task. and may be accomplished much
more easily than might be imagined.
This Ia done by securing II box about
u,Nrt f<,,x
inches deep. filling the box with sand.
Then drive nails or tacks two and a
half inches apart around the edges of
the box. and over these nails stretch
n string back and forth, so as to mark
the box off into two and a half-inch
squares. The squares are then num-
bered by starting at one corner OF
the box and continuing across and
back until all are numbered You
can use any plan OF marking the
squares, just YOU do not lose track
of the number of each separate square.
II Is not advisable to use the outside
row of squares. but this box. when
eliminating tho outside rows, will give
you 100 squares. in which you can test
100 ears of corn
The ears of corn to be tested are then
laid on the floor or In some other con-
venient place. where they will not be
disturbed. numbered from l TO 100 and
six kernels removed from various parts
mel from near the butt, one from the
middle and one from near the point.
Then turn your ear over and take the
other three Kernels from that side In
the same manner. These are placed In
the sand point downward. so as TO be
about one-half an inch below the sur
face. y very good way 10 number the
ears is to pin small bits of paper to
the butts OF the ears. with the aid of
ordinary pins The kernels from car
No. are now put in square No. 1. ker-
nels from ear No. in square No. Q,
and so on. The box of sand now con-
| tanning the corn is then thoroughly
saturated with water at about blood
heat, covered with old sacks or car
pet, and placed near the stove or open
fireplace where II Is moistened down
daily, so as to hSsten examinations
This method will in about five days en-
able one to detect the poor ears by
their failure to sprout. and they can
be discarded. leaving only the good
cnes for seed
man can lay out, arrange and pick
the six kernels OF corn from 400 ears
liz one day and prepare four boxes in
which to do the testing in one day.
u - per cent OF the ears are finally
discarded, there Viii remain 800 cars
or sufficient to plant twenty acres.
SIN Another Method.
Another method which is very. easy
to handle is called the "Rag DoIls5
method aud rs coming into favor With
the corn growers. All that is necessary
to provide Is sufficient aupply az;
bleAched muslin Tear 1t in strips about
twelve inches wide and three or four.feotS
long. Arrange the kernels In two
rows, placing--the six kernels from tie
various ears In lunches about three
Inches apart The cloth may he ruled
off II desired by drawing a line length
wise through the middle and making
cross lines three inches apart Il IL tho
cloth is wet the kernels will remain Ii,
place better. 80
the strip OF cloth into a loose roll ana
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