The Mena weekly star., 1913-10-30


 containing so much valuable lnfOr- nation for the farmer, 1t was de- cided to print it in this week s iSsue.-EditOrl
 Selecting and Testing Corn Seed.
 Now is the time of year for the farmers to begin preparations Tor the crop of next year. There are two things of importance 10 con- sider right now. One is the Selec- ton of seed corn and the other IS adding organic matter to the soil. In seed selection. first consider the type of corn for seed. The best type is an ear ranging in length from 9 to 101a inches. The shape should be cylinderical, or round and uniform in size almost the entire length. Beginning at the butt end and measuring to a point about one-third of the length, stick a pin or tie a string. Then measure around the ear and take it's circum- ference. It should measure at this point about three-fourths of the length of the ear. An ear s inches long should be inches in clrcum- ference at the point mentioned one-third the way from the big end. The small end of the ear should be blunt and not long and tapering. The ear of corn should be mature, with a firm cob and the grains well set, and not too loose. The small end should be well filled out with grains. Some good ears will not be well filled to the end on account of the corn worm. When this is the cause it is not so material. The rows of grains should be straight, and the grains uniform in size and shape, except at the two extreme ends. The grains should be wedge shaped and firm and healthy, with enough space between the rows to allow them to dry out or season well.
 Remember that a certain amount of moisture must escape from the corn between now and planting time. By all means avoid ears that are short, thick and stubby, and al so the long, tapering kind. Avoid white corn with a red cob also. Such corn is not pure bred. An other point is the number of rows of grains. There should not be fewer than sixteen nor more than twenty-two. A good plan to follow in selection is to pick out few ears that come up to tbese speci- fications by measurements. Then study them. Then go into the field with a sack or basket and pick out ears that are as nearly like them as you can. Select your corn from good stalks that are large and uni form, and not too high-stalks of medium height, with the ear grow ing at a convenient height to gather. Gather plenty of it-several times what you will need to do your planting. Then this winter you can, on rainy days, go over it and select the best, and sell or trade the bal ance to your neighbors at a good price and save some for rep,anting. Place your seed corn in a dry place, on shelves or string it and hang to the rafters where the mice cannot get to it. During the winter test it and see how much will come up when planted. Take a strip of do- nestle and mark it off in squares of to 10 inches. Take three 10 five grains out of each ear, some from near the ends and some from the middle. from different rows. Number each square on the cloth and tag the ears with a number all so. Then place the grains from the numbered ears on the correspond ing squares on the cloth. Lay an- other cloth on top of it and sprinkle with warm water until it is wet. Then carefully fold it up so as not to move the grains out of place. Wrap the whole in an old sack or piece of quilt and put in warm water. Then lay it away where it will keep warm, or at about 60 de- grees. If it dries out moisten again in about three days. After about sixty days the seeds will ger minate or sprout. Make an exami- nation. Throw out the ears that do not have germinating grains with healthy roots. If an ear shows more than two grains that do not sprOut under this system, do not use it for seed. If you do, you will get poor stand. Shell your seed corn by hand in the early spring, and do not use the grains from either end, but confine yourself to the grains of uniform size. This will enable your plants to work well and give you a better stand of better corn.
 For organic matter break your land this fall if you can and turn under the pea stubble, weeds, grass and corn stalks. The more veg etable matter you turn under. the more organic matter. Flow deep. and subsoil if you like.
 John H. Page,
 Commissioner.