The Glasgow courier., 1916-02-04
TEST SEED CORN.

Testing seed corn for termination
always a profitable farm practice
is an absolute necessity this year in
many sections. In number of dis
tricts 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 normally,
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. 1t is also especially
important for holders of seed in such
districts to take unusual care during
the remainder of the winter to protect
it from freezing.
While complete testing for germi-
nation should take place shortly be-
fore the seed is planted, the specialists
of the department believe that it will
be simple forehandedness for farm
ers who have any reason to be doubt
full about the viability of their seed
to make preliminary terminating
test with few typical ears taken at
random from the rack. If these pre-
liminary tests show that the seed is
good, the owner then can continue
his precautions to guard it from
weather damage. If, however, this
test with a few ears indicate 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 until spring.
especially when so much corn in vari-
Gus sections has been damaged. The
farmer should secure his seed from
we'll known sources, buy it upon a
terminating guaranty basis, and get
his seed or typical samples early
enough to make his own terminating
tests. It is probable this year that
many farmers who have not followed
the wise practice of selecting enough
special seed from good crops to last
them in an emergency for two or
three years will have to buy seed.
In buying seed, farmers should try
to secure corn of varieties known to
prosper in their section. The safest
seed would be that carefully selected
from good corn grown in the i'm
mediate neighborhood, but at any
rate effort should be made to obtain
seed grown in districts where eli
mate, soil, and farming conditions in
general are similar to those at home.
If the farmer happens to have
stock of seed left over from the 1914
crop and doubts the seed saved from
his 1915 crop, he would do we'll to test
the older seed also and then use
whichever shows the greater vitality.
Seed corn, if properly cared for, will
retain its vitality for several years.
Many farmers, knowing this, always
select an extra amount of seed from
an unusually good harvest.
The following method of testing
seed corn is taken from Farmers
Bulletin 7O4. The corn is placed on
drying racks made by driving wire
finishing nails about four inches
apart on four sides of stick. A num-
Der is placed over the nail and the
butts of the ears are put on the nails.
If wire fencing or other seed racks
are used, the ears can be numbered
in other ways.
In single ear testing, two kernels
from opposite sides of the ear on the
top, two from the middle, and two
from the butt are put in numbered
squares or portions of terminating
boxes or other testers. The kernels
are kept moist at room tempera-
ture not aobve 30 degrees nor below
so degrees. After six or seven days
the seed should begin to sprout. Only
those ears from which all the kernels
give strong sprouts should be reserved
for planting.
Under ordinary circumstances, it
may not be absolutely necessary to
test every individual ear. If a large
number of typical ears show germi-
mating tests as high as 81 per cent,
the seed in general may be considered
good. Under the unusual conditions
prevailing this year, especially in
neighborhoods where the corn did
not mature normally, it should well
repay a corn grower to test every ear
that he intends to use for seed. If