Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1916-03-15
SEED CORN SELECTION.
County Demonstration Agent
Lott Gives Method of Test
ing Seed Corn. Other
Good Advice.

Inc system OF turning pea stuoole
in the fall of the year is not the
most economical for two reasons.
First turning pea roots, bringing
them near the surface, in decompo-
sition of the nodules the nitrogen
escapes and goes back to its nat
ural element the air. 2. The shat
tered grain would make winter
cover crop, keeping down erosion
and producing green organic mat
teriWhich when turned would in its
decomposition form a gas that
would unlock the latent potash that
soillcontains. All soils have potash,
unavailable from Is to 35 tons per
scre seven inches deep, If the far
mer feels he must break his pea
stabble in the fall of the year or get
delayed in his paintings, by all
means cover the land with some
grain, rye, wheat or oats to disc
andStnrn in the spring.
Insoil preparation the disc har-
rowsis one of the most important
toolsSto use. Every acre of land
the Farmer expects to plant he
should apply the disc (cutaway)
harrow first. A thorough mulch of
the snrface is equal to a coat of ma,
nure.
Seed Corn Testing.
When farmer plants his corn
without testing the termination
qualities, he is guessing and if he
fails in his crop be will lay all the
blame on the seasons while his
guessing vas the cause. Test don't
guess. One Of the simplest ways is
to make a box 36x24 inches a inches
deep, fill box inches with wet saw
dust, use warm water, firmly pack
sawdust, use a brick, take 2 yards
bleaching, mark into 2 inch squares,
number the squares, select your
corr, gag ears to correspond with
lnuMs 81 on checks, tack cloth. to;
boz at. each end to hold in place, use
the extra attached yard of cloth to
cover corn after you have taken 6
grains from each ear, two from each
end, two from middle on opposite
sides, but not off same rows, be-
ginning with number one and so on
to last check. After spredihg the
extra yard of bleaching with some
kind of thick cloth, old piece of
quilt or guano sacks and spread on
the corn, put in some place where
corn will not chill, your cook room
is good place, don't allow it to be
disturbed in four or five days. No
tice too if the cloth has dried out,
if so wet in warm water. In about
ten days you can see the kind Of
corn you should plant. Testing is
about the only guarantee you have
of crop, when you guess you have
none. With the assurance that
your seed is al! right your hopes
should be higher. 1t is small job
compared to its importance. After
you have enough tested seed to
plant your crop, save ten ears for
your breeding patch.
This system was the means of
saving the northwest from bank
ruptvy a few years back. The corn
growers of tnat section found that
corn would vary from ten to forty
bushels to the acre. The same rule
will apply to our corn growing,
test and breed your corn to higher
standard. With the ten ears plant
ten rows, one ear to row. This
plat you will have to drop by hand
to get as nearly az possible the same
numbe of stalks Oh each row.
Not necessary for any better soil or
extra attention, but we insist that
you give it fair showing by leav-
ing the fodder, don't ruin it by
bleeding tie stalk at the critical
period of its maturity. When corn
is dry gather and weigh corn on
each row separately, save the
heaviest for best seed.
As we write we are wondering
how many farmers in Edgefeld
county are going to put our sugges-
lions into operation. Well we have
already counted them. Our Edge
field people are not by any means
scrubs, but there are some charac-
teristics among our farmers that we
cannot understand. For years l
have talked and begged for re-
spective number of boys for the
corn and pig clubs, it is beyond me
why the fathers of these bright boys
don't want .beln known outside the
front gate. 1t is just as important
for the boy to know practical agri.
cultura and stock RAISING aS If ia