The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-01-31
SHOULD TEST SEED
CORN THIS YEAR
Especially Advisable for Farmers to
Determine Viability of Seed in
Advance of Planting Season.


Testing seed corn for germination-I
always a profitable farm PRACTICES |
an absolute necessity this year in MANY |
sections. In number of districts the |
last corn crop from which seed for the |
coming planting will be taken was late |
In maturing or so moist when harvested |
as to call for special precautions. A |
high moisture content makes seed corn
particularly susceptible to damage from
freezing or heating Farmers in the
sections where corn failed to ripen nor
mally who do not test their seed early
enough to be able to replace their own
bad seed with good seed secured from
other sources will be taking an un-
necessary risk. It is also especially i'm
portant for holders of seed in such dis
trlcts to take unusual care during the
remainder of the winter to protect it
from freezing.
! While complete testing for germina-
| tion should take place shortly before
4 the seed is planted, the specialists of
the department believe that it will be
simple forhandedness for farmers who
have any reason to be doubtful about
j the viability of their seed to make q
preliminary terminating test with a
| few typical ears taken at random from
show that the seed is good, the owner
| then can continue his precautions to
: guard 1t from weather damage If
! however, this test with a few ears in
dictate that the seed is of low vitality,
the farmer should at once make further
tests to satisfy himself as to whether
his seed corn generally is good or bad.
If farmer finds his seed is bad he
should take steps at once to meet the
difficulty. The purchase of seed should
not be delayed till spring, especially
when so much corn in various sections
has been damaged. The farmer should
secure his seed from well-known
sources, buy it upon a terminating
, guaranty basis, and get his seed OF
typical samples early enough to make
. his own terminating tests. 1t is prob
!, able this year that many farmers who
z have not followed the wise practice OF
, selecting enough special seed from goo6
. crops to last them in an emergency fol
! two or three years will have to buy
. seed. In buying seed, farmers should
, try to secure corn of varieties known t
= prosper in their section. The safes
seed would be that carefully selected
from good corn grown in the immedi
: ate neighborhood, but at any rate eff
: fort should be made TO obtain see,
! grown in districts where climate, soil
:, and farming conditions in general ar
!, similar to those at home.
: IF the farmer happens to have
! stock of seed left over from the 1911
!. crop and doubts the seed saved from
: his 1915 crop, he would do we'll to ties
: the older seed also and then use which
: ever shows the greater vitality. See
, corn if properly cared for viii retail
: its vitality for several years. Man
farmers knowing this always select a
! extra amount of seed from an unusuall
II good harvest.
u The following method of testing see
> corn is taken from Farmers Bullet
704. The corn is placed on dryin
racks made by driving wire fnishin
nails about four inches apart on fou
sides of stick. A number placed owe
Ia the nail and the butts of the ears ar
put on the nails. If wire fencing {
other seed racks are used, the ears ca
10 be numbered In other ways
v Id single ear testing, two kernel
h from opposite sides of the ear on tn
v top,l two from the middle, and tw
is from the butt are put In nUnbere
n squares or portions of germinatin
"A boxes or other testers. The kernels al
# kept moist at room temperature ne
ar above 80 degrees T.. nor below so d.
grees +. After six or seven days I'll
in seed should begin to sprout. Onl
l., those ears from which all the kerne
n give strong sprouts should be reserve
k for planting.
ID Under ordinary circumstances, it ma
St not be absolutely necessary to test e.
g. cry individual ear. If large numb,
re of typical ears show terminating ties
a as high as 81 per cent, the seed in gei
is eral may be considered good. Under Il
II unusual conditions prevailing this yea
in especially in neighborhoods where Il
O. corn did not mature normally,
he should well repay corn grower to tie
every ear that he intends to use Fl
IN seed. If he has any reason to doul
IN the quality of his individual stock, Il
s ear-by-ear testing is simply form
ad labor and crop insurance.
RS Before testing termination, the farr
pit err should examine each ear and thro
he out all the ears which do not look rig
it or which have several withered or dal
in aged kernels. He should strive to nal
ry up his seed from ears which in size al
appearance seem to be normal for b