Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-08
Easy to Go Wrong
in Testing Seed For
This Years Corn Crop
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Belmond, Feb. S.-There are COM
paratively few farmers. perhaps, in the
state Of Iowa who are not possessed OF
proper realizing sense of the import
ance Of testing seed corn. Bitter ex-
perience, short course lectures, ex-
hortations from platforms Of seed
corn specials" statistical tables pub
lished in farm journals and bulletins
from experiment stations. common
sense reflections, all these have COM
bined to establish a principle that no
corn grower would dare to disregard.
The purpose OF this paragraph is to
show how easily one may go wrong in
anything so simple, apparently, and
about which 80 much has been said
and written as the testing of seed
corn.
A few years ago a banker In
aorthern Iowa town, thinking he saw
an opportunity to promote the agricul-
Iural interests of his community, pro-
cured an up-to-date scientific seed
corn tester and offered to test any seed
that hts farmer patrons might wish to
bring In. Among those who were glad
to avail themselves of the privilege
was one good farmer who brought in
thirty ears selected from his stock In
due time he called at the bank and in
CURED about his test. One single ear
of corn was handed him with the in
formation that the other twenty-nipe
failed to come up to the required stan
dard. The rejected ears were lying in
a pile together with other seed brought
in by other men. and which had been
= E. r.
Farmer put his one good ear into
coat pocket remarking that 1t ought to
be wrapped in tissue paper and pro-
ceeded to take the worthless ones out
of the bankers way. When he reached
home he had decided that because the
rejected ears looked so good and had
been so carefully selected, and cared
for afterward that he would just give
them little old fashioned test Of his
own. The result was surprising. Prac-
tically every ear was good. The en-
tire stock was planted and most sat-.
isfactory field stand secured. No more
artificial testing for this farmer. Here
Is the method he uses and advocates
as reliable because natural. His tester
is table three feet square. On the
top are four-inct strips forming 100
boxes each three inches square inside
measurement. These boxes are filed
nearly full Of plain black Wright coun-
ty dirt. The boxes are numbered and
the ears to be tested are likewise
designated. Six grains taken from diff
ferent parts of the ear are placed in
the box of corresponding number and
this is repeated until the boxes are
filed. The table stands in the kitch-
en-, back of the range. If the tempera-
ture happens to go to low levels while
the test Is being made lighted lamp
goes under the table and remains there
until normal springtime temperature is
restored by some other method. When
a quantity Of seed is tested in this
manner" declares the man who fol-
lows the plan, there is not the slight
est doubt about what ii will do when
planted in the open field some time
along in May"
Tests recently completed by this
farmer show little better than ninety
for new seed and about eighty for corn
raised in iSii and recently taken from
the crib.
The real estate man on the train
was comparing Iowa soil with that. OF
other states and the comparison was
all In favor of Iowa. He explained
why land prices here may yet double
and still be farnled 5profitably by say
ing, TT is claimed that Iowa soil is
not producing more than half that of
which it is capable and myself would
put 1t down to not much more than
one third" The real estate man prob
ably did not realize the nearness OF his
own estimate to that Of the authori-
ties he was quoting but his statement
tod - ic$a t1,o
fact that many farmers who have told
him about exceptional fields Of corn
grown in the past season have men
toned that "it was raised on good.
rich ground" When all rundown.
worn-out farms have been brought to
the good rich" standard perhaps the
yields Of these times will be looked
back upon in the words of the real
estate man as mot much more than
pne- third"
Three fine farm residences stand out
as noticeable recent improvements in
this locality. Simon Simerson has re-
modelled an already fine home, max
ing it one Of the best and largest in
the county. It contains twelve rooms
with basement under all, is f1fty-four
feet long and in one part thirty four
feet in width It has oak floors. is
wired for electric light and is equipped
with all modern conveniences.
Frank Barry, reversing very COM
mon custom, moved his old house in
stead of his family to town and erect
ed one of the finest residences In this
part Of the country in it's place. Mr..
M1MnlDT RARYV