The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-21
Selecting Seed Corn
ByC. B. WILLIAMS, Director North Carolina Expert
ment Station.
nent Station.

get the most out of the efforts he puts
INTO the growing of his corn crop
next year. No man can produce the
highest yields of any crop unless he
carefully looks after saving ms SEED
by proper methods.
Selecting For Larger Yields.
The proper place to select seed
corn is in the field at or just before
gathering time, and select from stalks
that have the most shelled corn per
stalk, as such seed will tend to pro-
duce an increased yield in the next
years crop. Any method Of seed Sc
lection that does not take the plant
as whole into consideration is not
going to lead to the best results; for
the stalk and leaves, which are the |
manufactory OF the plant, determine
to a considerable extent the size and |
quality of the ears. In all our re-
suits it has been observed that those |
varieties which have generally been |
the best yielders are those which pro-
duce more than one ear per stalk. |
Ears Of medium length and size are |
preferable to the long and large ones |
because the latter were generally |
either produced on stalks that bore
but one ear. or else on stalks that
grew on some fertile spot in the field, |
either of which seed do not tend to
promote the greatest yields when
planted. Seed from corn grown on
average land will do better planted
on land Of medium fertility than when
seed from corn grown on rich land
is used. for the same reason that stock
accustomed to poor conditions will do
better on an inferior pasture than
stock accustomed to more favorable
surroundings.
The selection should not be turned
over to the hired man, but should
receive the best efforts of the farmer
himself, as ii is sure that time eX-
pended in this work will prove as pro-
fitable, if not more so, than any other
work done on the farm. By contin-
ually selecting and planting corn pos
seSSinS certain desirable CharacteriS-
tics, such as production of two good
ears per stalk, it will be found, as
the selection goes on from year to
year, that these desirable qualities
have each year become more thor
oughly fixed.
1t should be constantly kept in mind
that on every farm changes, beneficial
or detrimental are continually taking
place, as it is an inherent tend ency
Of all plants to vary more or less and
retrograde or revert to a less prOduc-
tive state if intelligent and rigid Sc
lection is not persistently kept up.
In making selections in the field, al
least three to four times as much corn
seed purposes the following year, sc
that further and more careful selec.
ton can be made after the ears have
been taken to the barn and when 6
leisure time presents itself. In th'
final selection the ears should be ar
ranged conveniently on the barn fioo1
or ground, and with an ear Of tn
type desired in mind or in hand. e.
over the lot and remove all undesir
able ones. The seed thus selecte,
should be transferred to a box or bar
rel and covered with wire gauZe o
something else that will permit o
thorough ventilation and keep out rat
and mice. Store the barrel or bo
In some dry place and let remain un
til the seed are wanted for planting.
Uniformity i'm Height Of Ears.
If all the ears in a field are of ap
proximately uniform height, there i
greater probability Of complete fertili
zation and filling Of all the grains c
the ears than would be the case
some of the ears were highly on tn
stalks, while others were compare
lively near the ground An extremel
high ear tends to late maturity, Will
one very near the ground tends t
ripen early, hence will not make, {
general rule, a very large growtl
For the ears in field to be completel
fertilized or pollinated, the silks
the ears should be ready to receive tf
falling pollen grains ,dust-like pal
ticlesl from the tassels as soon
they begin to be disseminated by tt
wind.
Barn Selection.
1t is a common practice with mar
farmers of North Carolina to NAL
seed-ocrn selection from the crib
the spring, just before planting tim
when the quantity is small and Il
quality inferior. This method yiel
hot for hay sole n
but Is far inferior to field selectio
where the performance record of ca
stalk may be given consideration.
In barn selection it is usually t
larger ears that are chosen for Sc
purposes, and these are not general
as pointed out above, the best ones
seed. We have in this State, by G