Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-11-06

because it has had special advan-
tages. II may have been produced in
a hill with only one stalk and have
had more than fits share of plant food.
On the other hand, it may have grown
in a hill with two or three stalks and
made a good ear in spite of these con
ditions. Such an ear is a better one
for seed, and when planted will be
more likely to produce good ears. than
one that has had special advantages.
Another method commonly used in
gathering is to have a box on a wagon
bed, into which good seed ears can
be thrown while gathering the corn.
The chief objection to this method is
that a man is usually thinking more
of getting the wagon box filled and
the corn in the crib than of selecting
seed corn, and so many of the best
ears are overlooked.
The object of both methods is to
find the best ears early in the fall.
After the corn is gathered it should
be handled in such a manner as to
dry out thoroughly before freezing
weather. This can be easily done by
making racks in which the ears may
be placed and swung up in the gran
airy or barn in a dry and well-venti-
lated place where the mice will not
get to 1t.
Another convenient way of storing
corn is to take a board, say 1Ox20
inches, and drive ~12-penny casing
nails through it from both sides, three
inches apart each way, and stick the
ears on these nails. A board of this
size is convenient and will hold "a
ears, enough to make a bushel Of
good seed corn, which will plant sew
en- or eight acres. Bore a hole in the
top of this board and suspend with a
wire. /,
If corn is stored in barrels or piled
up 1t will not dry out as well as II
stored in racks, and when freezing
weather comes on it will be injured.
If thoroughly dry, a severe freeze will
not injure the vitality Of the corn to
any appreciate extent.
Uniformity Of Type important.
At fairs and other places where
corn is shown for premiums it is us
tomary to show ten ears together as
a sample, and consequently in judg-
ing such samples the ten ears must
be considered as a whole instead of
a single ear.
In selecting samples it is well to
first select rs or 80 of the best ear
to be found and lay them out on a
board side by side. Then go over
! them with the characteristics Of a
good ear in mind and study them
carefully. An hour spent in picking
out the good and bad points Of the
various ears one after another will
help very much in deciding which
ears will make the best exhibit. Final
" pick out the most ideal ear in the
lot and use it as a standard in select
ing the other nine.
Bear in mind that M OF the most
important points about a good sam
pie of corr is what is known as uni
formity of type. By this is meant
that every ear should look as near
like every other ear as possible. They
should all have the same shade of
color, the same size, the same shape,
the same color of cobs, the same
character Of kernels, whether rough
or smooth, wide or narrow, and be
true to the type of the variety. Each
ear should Measure up to the score
card standard for the variety in both
length and circumference, and should
be solid, we'll matured, free from
damaged grains and all indications of
mixture. Keep in mind the idea Of
mates" as If selecting a show team
of driving horses or a herd Of cattle
or other stock. Show corn is seed
corn, and all OF the ears should be
alike, so that the product may be uni.
form.
For the purpose of determining the
depth and shape of the kernels, the
character Of the germ and the size Ct
the cob, two kernels may be removed
from the same side of the ear, but
no other kernels should be missing