The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-06

party. Looking at the corn. then we'll
developed in ears, noticed that there
was great variation among it. Some
plants were very tall and the ears
nearly out OF reach. with a short top
above the ears, while others were OF
better shape. and had the ears at a
convenient distance from the ground.
Selecting q plant that seemed TO Inc
10 approach more nearly typical corn
plant, ] said that that was a better type
of plant than the tall ores Yes
said the manager. ~ select seed from
that style OF plants Then. said l,
that Is not what YOU get as the re.
suit. for the plant seldom sets much
OF rs grain with its own pollen, and
You get seed fortified by the tall
plants around it The way TO get
good seed is 10 plant a plot especially
for seed and then rs soon as the tas-
sells show, go through and remove the
;assels from every plant that does not
come somewhere near your ideal of a
corn plant Then the pollen will be
furnished BY these only, and YOU can
select the hest seed, and by doing this
year after year YOU can get uniform
type of corn
Barren Stalks In the Corn Field.
OF course we find many barren stalks
IN poor land where the soil Is not
strong enough TO make ears. But in
the most fertile fields. where care has
not been taken 10 eliminate the bar
Ten or male plants YOU will always
find many lusty. plants that have no
ear. have examined field after field
and nave gone through and counted
the barren stalks, and in fields that
should have made fifty bushels an acre
] have found at least 10 per cent OF
harrnn stalks. and that means OF
course. loss OF FIVE bushels an acre
a farmer some years ago asked an
experiment station director how to get
rid OF the barren stalks. This director
told him that they were accidental
freaks and could not he entirely eradi-
Gated I told him that he was wrong.
for they had been eradicated by one
man. a good corn breeder OF my &C
ouaintance The fact is that in the
corn field these big earless stalks are
the strongest males IN the field, and
furnish plenty Of pollen 10 make seed
for more OF their kind. and II they are
not allowed to ripen pollen we could
breed the mout. | was in the field of
a noted corn breeder who had oper-
ated on that idea, and I went in every
direction through his field and could
not discover a single plant without
ears. The owned said to me that corn
1 have been breeding for years and
have bred out the barren stalks. but
come Over into distant part OF the
farm and | will show YOU another
variety that ! have had from a West
ern breeder only two or three years
and YOU will see some barren stalks
yet Went and saw that he had
some there and had removed tho tas-
sells from them, and hoped in year
or two more 10 be entirely clear or
them Barrenness is hereditary
tendency. and to get rid Of barren
stalks YOU must prevent their breed
ing Therefore in the seed plot we
should pay especial attention to the
eliminating OF the tendency TO De
barren.
The Enr-Row Method.
Much has been written i'm the farm
papers and bulletins Of the stations
In regard TO the car-row method OF
Improving seed corn This is to So.
lect cars and plant a row for each
ear. and 10 promote the crossing which
inNigorates the plant. take out the tas-
GELS while green from each alternate
TOW. These are TO nc the seed rows
and the alternate... rows the sircs or
males to furnish. the"polltn. This, !, is
claimed, insuros crossing And for =
,imo +, does but If YOU continue the
method wear after year with the same
product ~ worm YOU will soon be
breeding in and in more closely than
over. and the only way TO check this
,endency is to have the sire corn
grown somewhere else Of the same va :
riety and crose win maj on alternate
Years
But the fact 8 ;bat crossinr is inc
rule In the corn aeld Tbo noIion is
blown all over the nold bv ,bc ,yind
and little Of the pollen of tho stalll
falls on its own ears Hence ~ orc
has a plot planted fo, seed no car 90
through and take out inc green tas-
soils from everything, ina, doos NO.
come somewhere near me ,doal ,lor,
he wants ana can In mat wav nnt 9
Uniform product as in am, ga 7
know o. W VIII have moro Iator
on this matter o. cor,, brccdi,c rba
corn ear shows nave done aood In a.
tracing attention 10 the imnrove,con,
OF corn. but show ~ cars on,v yin
Just show that ono man has o,rs ~,