Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1916-08-30
POOR SEED
MEANS FAILURE
Don't Select Your Seed Corn
From the Crib-You Can't
Tell What You Are
Getting.
WE MUST STUDY THE STALK

When You Gather Seed Corn, Study
the Root System, Foliage, Stalk,
Husk and TasseI-Pick Ears of Me.
dunn Hight on Stalk With Short
Shank.
5y p. 6. HOLDEN, Agricultural Ex.
tension Department international
Harvester Company Of N. J..
The character of the stalk should
he taken into consideration in select
ing the seed. ...
There are almost as many things to
be considered in connection with the
stalk as have been discussed with re.
gard to the ear; though it will be i'm
possible to- give to the subject the
space it deserves.
There are the root system; the char.
acter of the foliage, and it's distribu.
ton on the stalk; the disposition to
sucker and to set several ears; tho
length of the shank, the time of pollen
alton as compared with silking; sus.
ceptitility to disease such as rust,
over at the roots, below the ear and
above the ear; premature ripening,
leaving the ear light and chaffy; the
position Of the ear On the stalk, high,
medium or low; erect or dropping;
the way the ear is covered with the
husks and the comparative maturity
OF the different stalks and ears, etc.
The great majority Of corn raisers
30 not take these things into consid-
Grafton They simply save the occa-
%!On2l good ear throughout the husl-
iI3g season or pick them from the crib
ac planting time.
We must know the stalk upon which
the ear grew, whether the stalk was
the only one in the hill or one Of
tAree stalks.
How Is This TO Be Done?
There is just one practical way to
10 it, and that is to go into the field
in the fall, before the nights are colo
enough to il,jUre the vitality Of The
corn, and select the best ears, pre-
Tided they come from strong, healthy.
desirable stalks. We simply must come
70 this method of selecting our seed
corn.
Strong Stalks.
The stalk from which an, ear is &C.
lected should be strong, vigorous and
healthy, indicating ability to win in
the competition and to overcome IN
favorable conditions We should dis.
criminate against spindling stalks, es.
pe~'ally those that are snall from the
ear TO the ground. Particularly should
we avoid those stalks which have
shown their weakness by breaking
over. The ear is likely to rest on the
ground and gather moisture and mold.
Height Of Ear. >
Select ears from as nearly the same
height and position on the stalk as pos
si5le. The higher growing ears VIII
teE(: to make the corn later each year.
II we go to the other extreme we
will soon get an early, small, slim,
fiinty, ear, with shallow kernels and
open burrows between the rows and
the yield will be reduced.
Dropping or Erect Ears.
An ear that droops it's nose slightly
as the husk begins to turn yellow and
open is preferable to one that stands
erect, allowing the water to run down
Of the ear, which OF course is unde-
sirable. The dropping ears are gen.
orally a little earlier than the erect
ones. s-. .".
Short Shank Desirable.
The ear should be set on a short
shank close to the stalk. Ears on long
sEanks are more likely to be broken
of and are a nuisance to handle, espe-
cially if the corn is cut and shocked.
Freedom From Disease.
The stalks should be free from dis
ease such as smut, rust, mold, etc,
I have seen cases where nearly every
stalk coming from certain ear was
affected, and so badly affected that
there was not good ear on any of
the 500 stalks.
Foliage, Its Character and Distribu-
ton.
A thin, sparse foliage is never desir-
able. 1t carries with it nothing but
weakness. In the corn belt where the
ear is the most valuable part of the
plant, we should secure the kind Of
stalk and foliage which will give the
greatest profit in grain. This will not
be secured by heavy foliage. The best
results will be between the two ex-
tremes.
Two Ears 20 the Stalk Not Desirable.
Except possibly in the case of flint
varieties and the early northern dent
varieties, which are grown for the
fodder, it will be advisable to select
seed from one-ear stalks.
Covering of the Ear With Husks.
A heavy mass of husks on an ear or
the projection of the husks beyond the
tip Of the ear into tight point are OBJ.
jectionable; they prevent the corn
from drying and make it more difficult
to husk. The husks should just fairly
cover the tip Of the ear and should
loosen or open at time of ripening to
allow circulation of air in order to dry