Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-03-07
Agricultural Department
Conducted by G. W. PeHen-A agricultural Teacher
RaLdin IGnhSc

thing to gain and nothing to lose.
How to Use the Sawdust Germina-
ton Box
It is not essential that the box be
any particular size, although about
thirty inches square and four or five
inches deep will be found convenient.
This size will test 100 ears at time.
Fill the box about half full Of moist
sawdust well pressed down so as tc
leave a smooth even surface. The
sawdust should be put in a gunny
sack and set in a tub of warm wa
ter for at least an hour, or better
still over night, so that it will be
thoroughly moistened before using.
Rule off a piece of good white cloth
(sheeting) about the size of the box,
into squares, checker-board fashion
two and one-half inches each way.
Number the squares /, 2, 3, etc.
Place the cloth on the sawdust and
tack it to the box at the corners and
edges.
Lay out the ears to be tested side
by side on planks, tables or on the
floor, and drive nails at the ends of
the rows to hold the ears in place,
remove one kernel from near the
butt, middle and the tip Of the ear;
turn the ear and remove three kerr
nels from the opposite side in like
manner, making six krnels in all,
thus securing a sample from the en-
tire ear. Place the six kernels at
the end of the ear from which they
were taken. Use care that the kerr
nels do not get mixed with those
from the ear next to it. After the
kernels are removed, boards may be
laid over the rows of ears to keep
them in place until the result of the
termination test is known. Place
six kernels from ear No. / in square
No. of the termination box; from
ear No. 2 in square No. 2, and so on
with all the ears. Lay a piece of good
cloth on top of the kernels and
sprinkle water over it. Now place
over this cloth another cloth consid-
erably larger than the first one and
fill in on top two or three inches of
moist warm sawdust.
Some use sand or soil in the ger
mination box, but after many tests,
with other materials, sawdust is.
beyond question, far better than any.
thing else.
Pack the sawdust down firmly and
set the box away for eight or nine
days until the kernels sprout. Keep
in an ordinarily warm place, like the
/ living room, where it will not freeze.
The kernels will terminate in about
eight days. :.
Remove the cover carefully to avoid
misplacing the kernels in the squares.
Examine the kernels in each square
of the termination box, and dis
card all ears whose kernels in the
box are dead, mouldy, or show weak
termination.
Remember that the kernels which
are slow to sprout and are weak will
be behind the strong ones in the field,
and being shaded by them, will give
us weak, runty stalks with smah
ears.
Every farmer should realize the
| Importance Of testing every ear of
his seed corn before spring work be-
| gins.
One day spent in March on the
seed corn may be worth more than a
month of hard work In the field lat
er. Without good seed the after
labor is of little use. Nothing is
more discouraging than a poor stand
of corn. If the seed Is carefully
tested and only good seed planted
there are no risks to run, except
! those made necessary to everyone
from the conditions of the weather,
insects, ETC., which cannot be con-
trolled.
1t is during bad seasons, when con-
ditions are unfavorable, that we
most need the kernels with large
deep germs of bright, cheerful color,
well-matured, and likely to give the
most vigorous grmination.