The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-06-19


All undesirable stalks should be de-
tasseled before pollen is formed. To
avoid self-pollenization one-half Of
every row must be tasseled.
Illustration:
Row No. ............
Row No. . ..............
Row No. 3............
Row No. 4 ........,....
Each row is detasseled from one
end to the middle. alternating ends Of
adjoining w being detasseled.
When the majority of the stalks are
ripe, the ears from all desirable stalks
that have been detasseled should be
gathered, those Of each row kept sep.
arate and weighed to determine the
production. The seed from the ten
most productive rows should be pre-
served for planting. Ten of the best
ears OF each OF the ten best rows are to
be kept for the e years breeding
plat" and the ten second best ears Of
each OF the ten row kept as a safe
guard against the loss Of the work Of
previous years in case of crop fail
ure. By following the method outlined
a few years work will raise it's pro-
ductivity to a higher standard. AS the
size OF the breeding plat will not
raise seed enough for sale in larger
quantities, the remnants of the ten
best rows are used to plant the in.
crease field, from which seed in larger
quantities can be sold.
Corn bred for several years for in.
creased production will produce with
exactly the same treatment) ten, twen-
ty, or even forty bushels more per
acre than when unsolicited seed is
used. Counting the increase as ten
bushels per acre, when corn is selling
at forty cents per bushel, well bred
seed bears a money value of $24 per
buShei and the profit per acre is in.
creased 81. This is a very low esti.
mate, the profit often being four
times as great.
A good strain of corn, like a good
breed Of animals, will run out" if
pains are not taken to propagate from
the best individuals; but if some such
- q ido OCCh OUllllltu ID lOI-
lowed. instead Of the corn becoming
run out" its standard of excellence
will gradually be raised.
The care of the seed corn from the
time it is gathered is equally as .mpUr-
tant as the raising Of it. AS soon as
the seed ears are gathered they should
be carefully dried; a. soon a. dry
place them in a dry place IF even tenn
p%erature where damp air will not reach
them. The drying is very important
because corn when gathered contains
from twenty to thirty per cent of
moisture and may be greatly injured in
one days time If allowed to freeze or
to heat.
Nature does her work so we'll that
practically every kernel that natures
will grow, unless the seed be exposed
to unfavorable conditions which will
greatly lower and often destroy its
vitality. In such cases the germina-
ton test should be made. The seed
testing should be employed as a dem.
onstration Of the fact that the seed
has received proper attention, rather
than as a screen 10 separate the worth.
less from the poorly preserved seed. If
the test shows that less than 81 per
cent of the kernels terminate it Is ad.
yisable to test every ear separately
and discard the poorest. This test
can very easily be made by number
ing the ears and then taking four or
six kernels from each and placing
them in numbered rows in shallow
boxes OF moist sand, arranging them
SO that the kernels from ear number
one are In row number one, etc. The
testing box should be kept in q warm
place where the temperature does not
fall below so degrees Fahrenheit. In
five or six days the results of the test
can be recorded.
Conclusions.
There is a general demand for we'll.
bred seed corn.
Every geographic section OF the
United States where corn is grown
needs one or more careful corn breed.
ers.
Farmers should ~ecquaint themselves
with the strain Of corn and the hon.
esty of the person selling il before Dur.
chaaing seed in large quantities.
the most important character a
corn can possess is the ability to pro.
duce large yields. which can be great.
ly increased by selection as ALREADY
outlined.
Properly conducted corr breeding
work will prove highly profitable to the
breeder and to the purchasers OF the
seed corn.
The vitality Of the seed is preserved
by thoroughly and quite rapidly drying
of the seed ears and storing where
they will not be exposed to sudden
changes OF temperature. or dampness.
1t is advisable 70 test each ear Sc,
arately il the vitalit. Is at all low.
Tcva tho 1tt1o fveAo H.. 49,.