Milford chronicle., 1914-12-25
PRIZE CORN AND ITS
YIELDING QUALITIES.

One nearly always hears on the coca
sions when high bred corn is placed on
exhibition and is given prizes when COM
peting with local strains or varities.
that such corn may do well enough for
exhibition but tnat 10 actual field trial
it viii not yield as well as home grown
and common selected seed. Instances
are sometimes cited to show that certain
prize winners grow one kind Of corn for
exhibition and another kind to sell as
seed or to feed to livestock. What are
some of the facts in the case
In the first place, the score card. or
list Of weighted points upon which corn
is Judged at corn shows. includes two
kinds Of points. One kind, it is true. are
such as to contribute more to the ap-
pearance Of the corn on the show table
than to its farm or market value. For
example, it makes little difference to a
cobs or white cobs. whether there are
a few white kernels among a majority
Of yellow kernels. or whether the ears
are all the same size. It is still a fact
that these points, which are carefully
considered BY the corn judge, may have
a strong relation to the market value Of
the seed, which, ike other market pro-
ducts, has an added value If i is pure
bred and therefore uniform. There may
be something also IN the pride which
grower may have in showing well bred
corn, even tho his hogs do not relish it
the more, altho someone was recently
lamenting the fact the old time husking
bee was going out Of date because it is
too hard nowadays to find the red ears
that gave the bee its real attraction.
Let It be granted, however, that some
of the qualities of the exhibition ear may
not be Of great meaning to the aver
age farmer.
The ether class Of points. and they are
greater in number, are those which in
dicate the seed value Of the ear or ears.
There is first the condition Of the ear,
which indicates its maturity. Then there
Is the condition Of the grain, showing it's
keeping quality. and ability 70
germinate. The grading Of the corn IN
regard to arrangement Of rows, filing
Of butts and tips, shape Of kernels thru
out the ear and especially their depth,
has a very close relation to the yielding I
quality Of that ear when used as seed. |
The score card was first made up with /
the idea that the corn to be scored was /
to be used on the farm or 10 the public /
market, and the fancy points were added l
later. One may assure. therefore, that |
ia the great majority Of cases the good I
ear chosen by a corn judge is apt to be /
the good ear for the farmer or seed I
iealer.
There may be several reasons why /
growers sometimes grow different kinds
lf corn for exhibition and home use.
One reason is apt to be that the show
.orn has not become thereby naturalized
IA a locality and that it needs special
.oaxing to make it mature. 1t may also
be III adapted to a soil or a climate and
nay therefore fall down when compet-
ne with native varieties. The ideal
seed corn for a locality is not the inn
ported kind, however well bred that
nav be. bit rather the native seed
which BY generations Of pertecting has
;0me nearer and nearer to the ideal Of
he perfect ear. Corn shows, BY ex-
iibiting q perfect ear, or an ideal ear,
whether or not it has been or can be
yrown in that neighborhood, tend to
make clear the qualities that should be
in choosing seed ears II
fou get seed of the prize ear, then. ana
{ falls below your expectations, DO not
.rticise the score card but rather try
o bring your own corn to the same
tandard This has been done SO many
lines that there is no question Of its
lcssibility. The corn show attempts to
improve the corn on every farm. but
Iot always by introducing a new variety
r strain. Breeding to a set standard
J the aim sought, and the score card
i've our present idea Of what that
tandard should be.
w. G. PELToN. County Agent.