Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-03-04

grow and give some returns with a lot of neglect
it gets it.
In no one 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; fog instance, l know farmers who are per-
feet plowmen; they know it and are proud of their
skill, but these same farmers are hidebound in an
old custom of throwing their corn in their crib
just as it is husked, and when they want seed in
the springtime they go to the crib and pick out
sufficient likely ears from what are left to meet
their needs, and let it go at that.
1t is an enigma how a man can be so skilled as
a workman in many respects, and yet absolutely
inert to one of the most vital phases of securing
perfection in that work. 1t needs no 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 care and precision
in some of the details.
1t seems strange, but it is nevertheless a fact,
that most farmers are 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, or fer
tilizer, or the weather, or in any other factor,
important though each may be. The first essen
tial is to breed up corn for points with the same
care given to animals or fowls. Type, quality,
stamina, productiveness, etc, must be known, must
be sought for and improved with each season. 1t
is not enough to pick out perfect ears or such as
may be attractive at harvest time. 1t is necessary
that one shall know the plant that produced the
ear, and all the conditions of its growth and en-
v%ironment.
There are many mysteries to be solved in this
question Of seed selection with the view to breed
ing up a more productive type Of corn. My own
experiments in this direction will indicate some
of the difficulties to be met with. In husking the
corn in the fall l came across just one stalk con-
tanning two ears. 1t was the first l had ever met
with, though upon inquiry l find that farmers do
frequently come across such two-eared 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
we'll to plant from these two ears and endeavor to
raise a two-eared crop. One ear was of good
size and the other about two-thirds as big. Weigh
ing them, the large one weighed IA ounces and
the small one az ounces. The large ear was an
average ear such as every stalk carried. Thus
this particular plant gave 9h 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 $50 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 a high quality
of stable manure, as | keep such in a cement-bot-
toned pit. The two-eared seed was planted at
one end OF the main corn field. 1t should of course
have had a separate plot, and 1t may be that the
tendency to revert to one ear was due in part to
its contiguity to the ordinary corn.
The $50 kernels made 30 hills. Fourteen failed
to come up, probably being eaten by worms or
mice. The termination showed very strong vital
ity. However, of the GIG stalks, all from the
two-eared seed. only 1856 stalks produced a double
ear. About onefifth.