The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-04-27

-'N' tHt Nlith IL OuJ vi lut Question
too. Listen! Hear that?" They lis
tened again.
sounds like the whiSperin' in that
biz spGsleli when You hold it to your
ear said Air. Weston.
"Aiu't a thing in the world except the
corn groWiug-lcaves unfolding and
rubbing against one another as they
opon-that makes that noise. SO you
can say that you've heard corn grow,
even if You never saw it grow" sug-
geSted his son.
"Wcll, live an learn" his father re-
spouded.
Hope to goodness we won't have a
rain for about two or three weeks"
said Joe. THAT corn is fine. and if we
nave nice, quiet dry spell and no
big wind the pollen will fall plentiful
from the taSSclS to the silk, and the
ears will be seeded plumb to the end.
good fertile grains. Wet weather lust
at taSSeling time is bad for corn. 1t
is always better if the weather is dry
and still"
i've heard old farmers say that, but
they didn't know the reason" said Mr.
Weston.
IF there's much wet weather or
wind about tasseIing time the pollen
from the tasseIs don't fall on the silk
evenly. That is necessary to make a
perfect grain. There's a strand of silk
for each grain. Unless that strand gets
pollen on 1t, no grain. Rain and wind
wash the pollen away before it gets
on all the silk"
THAT makes hubby corn?" inquired
his father. Joe nodded.
If the weather had been ordered
especially for the corn it could not
have been any finer. 1t was exactly
three weeks until a gentle, slow rain
fell one night.
MY crops made; it's made" re-
joiced Joe when he arose the next
morning. "Grain's all formed; now
plenty Of moisture to fill 'em out;
crops made, | tell you, and it's going
to be whale of crop, believe mew
Looks like the season come Just
right" observed his mother.
"Couldn't be better" admitted Joe.
His effort at seed selection was bear
ing fruit He had saved the seed from
the stalks with the most ears on them,
and in the crop coming on there was
at least a third Of the crop with three
perfectly developed ears on each stalk,
probably fifty stalks with four well
Developed ears and a half dozen which
showed four good ears and a rudimen-
tarE ear which could in time be de-
veloped into a perfect ear.
Joe went through and marked all the
five cared stalks with red calico
string, the four cared ones with a blue
strip and the three cared ones with a
white piece of cloth.
Tim going to gather it all separate
ly," he explained to his father. These
few stalks showing the five ear tend
ency l am going to plant off by them
selves next year and develop them up;
same way with the four ears May
plant the two together. I'm not GER
tain now, but l want to breed that
corn up to five good ears to the stalk"
W IINI dDOul luIS uGlC lllCO GdE
CORN" inquired Mr.. Weston.
"First l want to get enough of it for
you to plant here on the place; then
the rest of it l will sell for seed"
"What about the balance, Joe"
Feed the hogs with it,"
"Why, joe" protested Tom RaIston,
you could sell any Of this corn for
seed corn at a fancy price just because
it came off this acre. You're foolish
not to-
"Well, maybe I'll sort out the best
ears from the two ear corn and sell it
Mt a slight advance for the trouble in
sorting it out, but l won't take any
fancy price for it, because 1t amt fan
cy corn. And 1 amt particular anx-
ious to sell it. It's worth as much to
us for feed as the money is"
Il think you ought to be willing to
sell it for seed corn, joe" said his IA
Their. ITS fine, strong corn, better
than any Of this around here. It's
bound to give good results, an you'll
help the farmers that want to get
good corn to plant"
ooh, we'll looking at it that way, l
reckon it's sort of my duty to let it go.
But just wait until l get me five ear
corn fixed. III get five and six dollars
a bushel for it right along"
How you going to carry on corn
breeding If you are off at schoolT
inquired Tom RalstOn.
"Bettcr get the trip to the school
first But if l do go up there pa can
do all that's needful next year. Plant
on part of this acre the four ear and
five ear corn. I'll pick the two most
perfect ears to get seed from. Then,
when the ears are matured do as l
have dOne-pick out the best and
strongest stalks with the most ears on
em and mark EN-. Then the next
year I'll carry it on myself"
"What about the rest Of that four
ear corn? inquired Mr.. Weston.
"Sell it Mt 81 bushel for seed after
you have got all you want. Same way
with the three ear-sell that at So
bushcl'
"That patch out there ought to make
a good crop Of corn next year." re-
Elected Mr.. Weston.
HT7or oo01uncS' caLn dOD't ,,lon+ n