The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-03-06

grow and give returns with a lot of neglect
it gets it.
In respect is the average farmer more
careless than in his choice of seed, and this may
be said to be the prime essential. The farmer is
blowing, manuring. performing all the operations
from planting time to harvest, year after year,
and with some of these he takes considerable
pride; for instance, know farmers who are per
feet plowmen; they know it and proud of their
skill, but these same farmers are hidebound in an
old custom of throwing their corn in their crib
just it is husked, and when they want seed in
the springtime they go to the crib and pick out
sufficient likely from what left to meet
their needs, and let it go at that.
1t is enigma how man can be so skilled
a workman in many respects, and yet absolutely
inert to one of the most vital phases of securing
perfection in that work. 1t needs argument,
for it has been demonstrated over and over again
that the breeding of plants can be followed with
as much certainty as to results as the breeding of
animals. Then why not do it? The only added
equipment which nine out of ten require is the
exercise of more intelligent and precision
in of the details.
1t seems strange, but it is nevertheless fact
that most farmers aware of what may be done
in plant breeding, and know the general princi
pies, but they will not wake up to a practice of
them in their own interests
If we are to increase the corn yield we have got
to get it in the breed. 1t is not in the SOIL fer
tilizer, or the weather, in any other factor,
important though each may be. The first essen
tial is to breed up for points with the same
stamina, productiveness, etc, must be known, must
be sought for and improved with each season. 1t
is not enough to pick out perfect such
may be attractive at harvest time. 1t is necessary
that shall know the plant that produced the
ear, and all the conditions of its growth and en-
vironnent
There many mysteries to be solved in this
question of seed selection with the view to breed
ing up a productive type of corn My own
experiments in this direction will indicate some
of the difficulties be met with. In husking the
in the fall came across Just one stalk con-
tanning two 1t the first had ever met
with, though upon inquiry find that farmers do
& frequently come across such twoeared stalks,
though they never pay any attention to them, but
throw them in the crib with the others
1t occurred to me, however, that it would be
well to plant from these two ears and endeavor to
raise a two-eared crop. One was of good
size and the other about twO-thirds big. Weigh
ing them, the large one weighed IA ounces and
the small one 912 ounces. The large ear was an
average ear such as every stalk carried Thus
this particular plant gave 915 ounces more than
any other plant. This gain would mean almost
a ton more to the acre if the corn could be bred
to yield two ears 1t would mean even more if
the two ears could be made to attain a good size
instead Of one being large and one small, as in
this case.
The corn was of a variety called yellow flint,
obtained originally of a nearby farmer. From
these two ears selected $40 kernels, discarding
the butts and tips. The field in which this was
planted was fall plowed and dressed during the
winter with a liberal application OF high quality
of stable manure, as keep such in cementbot-
toned pit The tWo-eared seed planted at
one end OF the main field. 1t should of course
have had a separate plot, and it may be that the
tendency to revert to one ear was due in part to
its contiguity the ordinary corn
The $50 kernels made 210 hills. Fourteen failed
to come up probably being eaten by worms or
mice. The termination showed very strong vital
ity. However, Of the Gle stalks, all from the
two-eared seed, only 1S6 stalks produced double
ear. About one-ffth.