The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-10-21


season, and especially on the rainfall
in June. July and August, matter
which is entirely beyond our control
although conservation of the rainfall
that does come is largely under oul
control.
The type of seed we plant, and the
quality of the seed of that type, are
matters that are under our control
and it is to induce farmers to take
precautions on this point now or in
! the near future, that we write this ar
ticle. The type of corn planted in a
locality may influence the yield sew,
eral bushels per acre. The quality OF
the seed of that type which is planted
because of the success or failure in
securing full stand. The aim should
be to secure seed corn that will Ger.
tainly terminate even under the trying
conditions which we have in some
years-for example, too wet or too cold
weather at the time of planting.
1t is to these two things that are
| under our control that we direct our
readers attention. First, as to the
type Of corn you plant. By type" of
corn, we do not mean the shape of the
! ear, but its capacity to mature in the
climate in which it is planted. This
may make difference in the yield,
and make such a difference in the quail
ity that it will sell for several cents a
bushel less than it should, if the prop
err type were planted.
Northern Iowa does not sell much
No. 2 corn, and very little No. 3 be-
cause the farmers in that section, car
ried away by the beauty of the large
ear, have persisted in planting corn
that will not mature in that latitude
in normal season. Hence they are
obliged to sell at a lower price be-
cause of the large amount of water in
it. Then, in many years it is caught
by early frost. Hence it is very impor-
tant not to plant larger type of corn
than will mature in the section in
which it is grown. Increased emphasis
will be put upon this as soon as the
government grades of corn are adopt
ed; for you may be sure that every
man who buys corn at the elevator
and every large feeder, will supply
himself with an apparatus for deter
mining the percentage of water in the
corn, and will grade the price accord
ingly. He must do it or lose money,
and neither the feeder nor the ship
per cares to do that.
The question then arises: Have
you that type of corn on your own farm
now? If not, has your neighbor a type
of corn that manages to get in out of
the way Of frost? Watch his field
carefully; and if he has and you have
not, select your corn from his field
and not from your own. Corn adapts
itself to the climate; the corn adapted
to the climate, which means that it
gets through out of the way of frost.
will yield more than the same type.
and better looking corn, grown in a
different environment.
Therefore, for ten years past. or
ever since the corn gospel began to be
preached, we have advised our readers
to get seed corn grown in their own
neighborhood and on similar soil to
their own, in preference to buying it
from distance; and we are sure it is
good advice. If corn year after year
has got out of the way Of frost in your
locality. that is the kind of corn from
which to select seed; and the name of
it is an unimportant matter. The fact
is that names do not mean much in
corn nowadays. Reds Yellow Dent,
for example, is one of the very best
types of corn that grows; and vet
Reds Yellow Dent in one locality diff
fers very widely in type from that
grown in another locality. Neither it
nor anything else can escape the eff
fects Of environment.
The second important thing is to Sc
lect corn that will surely grow; and
you can not begin that selection too
soon. The judgment with which the
farmer selects his seed corn may mean
a difference of five bushels to the acre.
We regard the selection of seed corn.
ordinarily speaking, as one of the most
important jobs the farmer has on his
hands at this season OF the year, if not
the most important. 1t requires more
for close observation, and
more sound judgment than almost any
other farm operation.
1t is not always: nor in fact gener-
ally, the biggest ear that you should
select, because the size of the ear may
depend upon the environment; for ex-
ample. whether it stands by itself,
it is one of two stalks in the
hill, or one of three on piece of par
rich land. You are interested
only in the qualities OF that corn that
can be transmitted by Inheritance.
You are not particularly interested in
those that come as the result of en-
How to discriminate be-
tween these is vexing problem.
Some things we know came by in
heritance--the form or general shape
Of the ear, 1.-THE time OF maturity: but
the size is largely matter of environ
ment, of the number of stalks in the
hill or the richness of the soil. This
also may be said of its filling out at
tips and butts: these are matters OF
The unfortunate thing
is that the big ear of corn. well round
ed out at the top, is such fine locker
that we are apt to select it for quail
tiles it can not perpetuate. The char
acter OF the stalk. the character OF the
leaf. the height, the position OF the |
ear on the stalk. all these things must
be taken into account: and it requires |
observation and judgment which come
mainly from experience in selection.
Mo u,.ita oil this for fha nurpOse |