The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1915-09-03
BY p. G. HOLDEN, Agricultural Ex-
tension Department international

Inc character OF the Stdlk SnOulu
be taken into consideration in select
ing the seed.
There are almost as many things to
be considered in connection with the
stalk as have been discussed with re-
gard to the ear; though it will be i'm
space it deserves.
There are the root system; the char
acter of the foliage, and its distribu-
ton on the stalk; the disposition to
sucker and to set several ears; the
length Of the shank, the time of pollen
alton as compared with silking; sus-
ceptibility to disease such as rust,
smut and mold; tendency to break
over at the roots, below the ear and
above the ear; premature ripening,
leaving the ear light and chaffy; the
position of the ear on the stalk, high,
medium or low; erect or dropping;
the way the ear is covered with the
husks and the comparative maturity
Of the different stalks and ears, etc.
The great majority of corn raisers
do not take these things into consid-
GRAFTON. They simply save the occa-
sional good ear throughout the husk-
| ing season or pick them from the crib
at planting time.
We must know the stalk upon which
the ear grew, whether the stalk was
the only one in the hill or one Of
three stalks.
How Is This to Be Done2
There is just one practical way to
do it, and that is to go into the field
In the fall, before the nights are cold
enough to injure the vitality of the
corn, and select the best ears, pro-
/ vided they come from strong, healthy,
desirable stalks. We simply must come
to this method of selecting our seed
corn.
Strong Stalks.
The stalk from which an ear is Sc
lected should be strong, vigorous and
| healthy, indicating ability to win in
the competition and to overcome un-
favorable conditions. We should dis
criminate against spindling stalks, es-
pe~'ally those that are small from the
ear to the ground. Particularly should
we avoid those stalks which have
shown their weakness by breaking
over. The ear is likely to rest on the
ground and gather moisture and mold.
Height Of Ear.
Select ears from as nearly the same
height and position on the stalk as pos
sible. The higher growing ears will
tend to make the corn later each year.
If we go to the other extreme we
will soon get an early, small, slim,
flinty ear, with shallow kernels and
open burrows between the rows and
the yield will be reduced.
Dropping or Erect Ears.
An ear that droops it's nose slightly
as the husk begins to turn yellow and
open is preferable to one that stands
erect, allowing the water to run down
under the husks and stand at the butt
of the ear, which of course is unde-
sirable. The dropping ears are gen
orally little earlier than the erect
ones.
Short Shank Desirable.
The ear should be set on a short
shank close to the stalk. Ears on long
shanks are more likely to be broken
off and are nuisance to handle, espe-
cially If the corn is cut and shocked.
Freedom From Disease.
The stalks should be free from dis
ease such as smut, rust, mold, etc.
! have seen cases where nearly every
stalk coming from a certain ear was
affected, and so badly affected that
there was not a good ear on any Of
the 800 stalks.
Foliage, Its Character and Distribu.
ton.
A thin, sparse foliage is never desir-
able. 1t carries with it nothing but
weakness. In the corn belt where the
ear is the most valuable part Of the
plant, we should secure the kind of
stalk and foliage which will give the
greatest profit in grain. This will not
be secured by heavy foliage. The best
results will be between the two ex.
tremes.
Two Ears to the Stalk Not Desirable.
Except possibly in the case of flint
varieties and the early northern dent
varieties, which are grown for the
seed from one-ear stalks.
Covering Of the Ear With Husks.
A heavy mass OF husks on an ear OF
the projection OF the husks beyond the
tip of the ear into tight point are OBJ
Jectionable; they prevent the corr
from drying and make it more difficult
to husk. The husks should Just fairly
cover the tip of the ear and should
loosen or open at time of ripening, to
allow circulation of air In order to dry
out the corr.
/ Lice.
Lice en the husks will cause the
shuchs 70 turn yellow prematurely. II
selecting SEED do not mistake this yel
low condition for early ripening.