Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-14
STORING SEED CORN FOR
THE NEXT SUMMER CROP
'rof. 8. IT. ROBBINS writes:

Prof. 8. h Robbins writes:
After time has been spent selecting
seed corn. 1t would be folly to store 1t
In place where 1t would not keep.
Freshly gathered seed corn should not
be left In piles In n warm room, or on
tho floor. II Will either sprout, mold
or do both. Always store seed corn
where there is q good circulation of
air. SO 1t will dry out quickly. Never
leave 1t In boxes, in piles, on the porch
or In, the barn. 1t should be taken
care of at once.
There are only three necessary con-
ditions for storing seed corn! and, IL
these are followed, one may be reason
ably sure that 95 per cent or more OF
his corn will germinate, provided 1t
was properly mntuced. First, there
must be a good circulation of air about
each car. to carry away the surplus
moisture. Second, temperature must
be maintained above freezing. until the
seed Is thoroughly dry. Third. seed
corn must be selected early enough. so
that 1t may have plenty of time to dry
before cold weather.
Numerous tests of seed corn have
been made. OF all the thousands of
samples tested. those that were taken
from house attic, where there was a
good circulation of air. gave the high
est per cent of organization. Together
with attic-storcd seed corn may DO
classed the corn which was stored in
shS oSSohu-olotS ioOIIS tHc house.
Second. In per cent of termination.
was seed corn stored In n cellar In
which there was n heating plant. Gel
lars without furnaces are usually damp
and undesirable for storing. Samples
Of seed corn stored In oat-bips, on
porches, under the caves of barns, and
in open sheds. have also been tested;
and they usually gave tests too low
for the seed to be OF value for plant
ing. 1t is easily seen that seed corn
kept In an attic or an unused second
story room can have the required con-
ditions for drying; namely, good cir
culation Of air, and AN even tempera-
ture. above the freezing point The
furnace-room In a cellar has one ad-
vantage over tho attic, in that there
1t Is not likely to freeze as early In
the fall. Seed corn packed away In
oat-bins can receive no circulation of
air. and, therefore. either heats moids
or does both.
Where n large amount OF seed corn
Is to be stored, 1t Is profitable to build
Westinghouse. In this drying house
heating plant can be installed, and
ventilators so arranged for air cIrcu-
latlon that they can be closed in dis
agreeable weather, keeping out damp
ness. or opened during sunny days to
take out surplus moisture.
For commercial purposes, seed corn
is usually stored In one OF three ways:
on the floor In large drying-rooms: In
Slated crates. piled on top OF one
another: or In narrow cribs, built in
drying-rooms. The idea Is to secure
as nearly as possible the proper condi-
tons and still dry large amounts of
seed corn. When stored in any of the
above ways. one condition for drying
Is entirely lacking, namely. n free cir
culation OF air. This explains why
seed corn from seedsmen may some
times be low. In termination.
oil
built. are now in use whereby cir
culation Of air can be secured around
each ear OF corn. Four very desirable
methods OF storing seed corn on the
farm are here suggested. a frame OF
2x4's may be built, about four feet
square. Braces should be nailed on
each end to make the frame stand
upright. After this has been done,
stretch chicken wire over both sides,
mailing II securely. using care to make
the meshes on both sides to correspond.
In each mesh can be placed an ear, no
two ears touching. In case chicken
netting is not available, nail boards
over the frame, drive ten-penny finish
ing nails through the boards from each
side and jab the ears on the nails. butt
ftrst. The nails should slant up
slightly, so the ears will not fall of.
Another method is to suspend ten or
more ears from the ceiling, or from
wire strung across a room, each
looped about the middle with a double
strand of binding Irvine. Get a double
string about six feet in length. Hold
one end In each hand, the right end
being little longer. Pass the string
around the first ear about an equal
distance from the butt and tip, weave
the right hand over the left hand and
the left hand between the strings held
In the right. Reverse the second ear.
butt and tip, and place between the
strings
very satisfactory method now in
use by many experiment stations |.
the corn tree" This tree Is very eco
nomically made by driving temporary
nails about three inches apart on a
AKA post about six feet high The
nails should slant slightly towards
tho top OF the tree. This tree NAV be
set up any place where drying condi-
lions are good, and It requires very
little space. 1t is easily moved from
place to place, and Is practically in
accessible to mice