Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-07
SEED CORN CAMPAIGN.
Every Available Man From Extension
M.., Department to Go Into Field


Every available man from the lists of
extension workers employed by the COL
lege during the winter months will be
put into the field during theSnext month
in the seed corn campaigns which it is
proposed to conduct in half the counties
in Iowa.
According to Director Bliss Of the ag-
ricultural extension department at the
college there are now thirtytwo coun-
ties which have campaigns finished. In
progress or about to be started. The
work has been going on for over two
months and as the result of the efforts
by the corn specialists from Ames sup
plies of local seed have been rounded
up in the different counties and the
farmers, thru corporation have been
able to assure themselves of sufficient
seed for next years crop at no great
cost.
Allamakee, Bremen, Franklin, Hum
boldt, Jefferson, Palo Alto, Buchan nan
and wapello counties are the latest to
enroll under the cooperative plan, for
which the college furnishes an eXper-
fenced man to locate the necessary seed
in the immediate county if possible and
test It cut The farmers under the ar
neighbros at prices that are not exor-
bitant.
AS the result of the work being done
in the seed corn campaign many coun-
ties have decided to employ county
agents and several new ones will be
added to the roster of the fourteen Iowa
counties that are now leading the way
by employing specialists in agriculture.
n
Corn Tests in Greene County. TA
Careful tests on nearly 1000 ears
from At samples of seed corn gathered
from farmers in Greene county show
the following averages: -g%
/. New corn gathered before frost Is
testing strongest. a. 4
2. 1914 corn taken from cribs is
testing next strongest.
3. New corn gathered after frost is
testing weakest. A-. S,2 +! ~ e
New corn gathered before frost has
varied in per cent of strong kernels
Sc 2-3 to 100, and in per cent Of ears
testing kernels strong from 20 to 100.
Crib corn has varied in per cent Of
strong kernels from to SO 2-3, and In
per cent of ears testing 6 kernels strong
from 0 to SO. New corn picked after
frost has varied in per cent of strong
kernels from 81 to SO 1-3 and in per
cent Of ears testing kernels strong
from to 76. The average per cent of
strong kernels picked before frost Is
1924, in crib corn 1911, and in new corn
picked after frost 74.9. The three
classes Of seed vary in per cent Of seed
kernels as follows: Before frost liza
per cent. crib corn 7.s9, per cent, and at
ter frost 1904 per cent. In per cent Of
dead kernels they vary as follows: Be.
fore frost 1.34 per cent, after frost 10.6
per cent, and cob corn 1884 per cent.
One noticeable thing about these av-
erages is the high per cent OF weak
kernels in the new corn In nearly ev-
cry case new kernels have shrunken,
weak appearance at the tip. Just the
opposite condition is found on the old
corn. : Old seed has the highest per
cent Of seed kernels but the lowest per
cent Of weak, showing that it is neces-
sary to Observation-Disclosures against new
corn for weakness. Generally speaking
weak kernels are more to be avoided
than dead ones because the weak
Eplants from them will not produce good
Fenough corn TO return the plant food
they have taken from the soil. u