Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-11-15
SELECTING KAFIR SEED
Saving Of kafir for Seed az important
as Selecting Seed
Corn.

Much of the Kaf1r used for seed has
become mixed with milo, feterita, and
other members of the sorghum family,
and does not give a maximum yield.
The saving of Kafir for seed is as i'm
portant as selecting seed corn. If we
want to improve our live stock we do
SO by using the very best animals OBJ
tainable-scrub stock produces scrubs
The same holds true with Kafir. II
we use the poorly filled, sprangly
heads, from weak spindly stalks, for
seed, we must expect to harvest the
same kind of stuff. On the other hand.
care in selecting seed will be product
i've of good results.
1t is not a good plan to go to the
bin and fish out heads after harvest.
In the first place it may not grow, and
again we are unable to tell anything
about the time the head matured or
the kind of stock on which it grew
In selecting Kafir for seed the best
plan is to go right out into the field
before frost and pick out the best
heads, having in mind a stalk of me-
dunn height with strong short joints
Seed from these stalks will produce
much more than similar heads from
weak. long-jointed stalks. The trou-
BILE with our low-yielding Kafir is that
we have been using seed without
knowing the kind of a stalk it grew
on. By all means select the seed in
the field If best results are wanted In
many sections of Kansas where choice
seed was used the yields run from 65
to 80 bushels to the acre, while in the
same neighborhoods on same type of
soil. same kind of care and cultivation,
the yields have been / 5 to rs bushels
where the mongrel-mixed, poorly Sc
lected seed was used.
In selecting corn, we should have
one type of ear in mind and pick our
seed ears to conform with it as nearly
as possible. The same Is true with
Kafir. The standard head should be
about four times as long as broad. not
pointed at tip, but solid, with close
fitting, small branches throughout its
entire length. After finding a head of
this kind open it up. The main stem
should extend to within two or two
and one-half inches of the tip, and the
branch stems ought to be filled with
grain on all sides. The heavy yield
ing varieties are found to have heads
of this kind, while in sections where
complaints of low yields of Kafr are
made, 1t was found that the heads
were Snort, SpTdnSIy ana loose, anu
often several days later in maturing
than they should have been Another
of the advantages of field selection is
to pick the heads that ripen first. By
doing this the tendency will be to get
a strain that win ripen early, a decid-
ed advantage In a dry country
All Kaflr selected for seed should
be left In the head until the day of
planting Similar to the storing of
good seed corn. the room should be
kept at about the same temperature.
well ventilated. and the heads hung
up. affording free circulation Of air.
II buying Kaflr seed take only that
In the head-it is not SO apt to head
before planting time-you can tell the
kind and shape of head
In threshing the seed for planting.
| the usual way Is to take tub or box.
put in a board on one side, lay the
heads on this board and scratch on
the seed with a stif brush or curry
comb Another often used plan is to rub
| the heads on a washboard The easiest
| seeds to be removed are the ripest
| and best to plant Do not try to use
| all the seed from q head, unless seed
| IL scare-the most mature grains will
| give best results while the other may
be used for feed