Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1913-12-03

Der of seeds. Take every seed in this
.pile which 10 not ! ;wsaed III other
foreign seed and put one seed in each
square until the hundred have been
selected. This will give you big, lit
tie seeds, mature and otherwise, ac-
.cording as the sample runs. Have
the pupil note at ne same time some
thing as to the uniformity 81 the sam
pie, whether or not the seeds seem
to be of the same size, shape or color;
whether or not it contains weed seeds
or smut. Wrap up. the samples in
accordance with the directions and
await results. 4 .ra.,. gE.:. . A.
Putting Corn to Test. f..
Six kernels of corn should be cho-
sen from each ear. The ears should
be numbered with a peg in the end,
or by marking the ear with a lead
pencil at the butt on the smooth, hard
surface found at the base of each ker-
mel next to the shank. In selecting
the kernels of corn, take out one kerr
mel close to the butt end, turn the
ear about one-sixth of the way around,
take out another kernel about one
and one-half inches higher up and so
on around the ear until the six have
been taken out. This will give rep
.resentative sample of corn. These
should be put to test in the Rag Dolls
according to directions.
. Results.
1t will require from five to seven
days to secure a good termination of
these samples of seed. Be sure that
they have plenty of moisture in the
meantime. The samples can be
opened up at the end of the 5th day
to see how they are progressing. Al
ter it is found that both the root and
stem portion of the majority of seeds
have gotten a good start, the samples
should be opened out and count
made Of those that terminate. This
count should not only include those
that actually grew, but should lay en-
phasis upon those that send up a
strong growth and those that are
weak, as the weak ones would doubt
less be smothered out in the fields.
Have each child fill out the reports
furnished in duplicate. One report is
to be sent to the farmer partner and
the other to be turned over to the
teacher.
After the samples have been opened
out, it will be very interesting if they
are kept dampened and the seeds al
lowed to grow. 1t can be noted how
soon the green color appears in the
plants. This will give the pupils a
very good idea as to the time in the
life of plant that it is forced to de-
pend upon food received from within
the seed.
Making the Results Practical.
In order to make this work thor.
ough, it is suggested that chairman
of a seed testing committee be select
ed in each township. It will be this
chairman's business to cooperate with
the schools and especially to furnish
the testers. The Crop Improvement
Committee will furnish both the Blot
ter Testers and the Rag Dolls at cost,
namely, on. cent for the Blotters and
ten cents each for the Rag Dolls.
It is suggested to the Chairmen that
they get these testers donated to the
schools by local business men, bank
ers, or farmers themselves, in order
to save the school fund as much as
possible. Advertisements of the do
majors can be printed on the back of
the blotters if so desired.
The teacher should turn over to
the Chairman of the seed testing COM
mittee, duplicate reports made out by
the pupils IN each school. These re-
ports will give an accurate idea of all
the small grains to be seeded in that
township and should enable every
farmer to secure first class seed at
home next spring, if his own proves
unfit for use.
! AS stated, this will be splendid
lesson in agriculture for every school.
It will also be lesson in arithmetic,
grammar and composition, as figuring
the percentage and writing story
about the results will include all of
these things.
It will also make the school the
servant of the community and causes
the school to fulfill its true education
al function by dealing directly with
one of the business problems of that
community. :,