The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-09-28
SELECT SEED CORN
FOR BIG YIELD

The cardinal rule for selecting seed
corn in the field is: select the ears of
plants that yield more grain than sur
rounding plants grown under the same
conditions. In gathering seed corn by
this rule two points must be observed.
The first point is to pay 10 attention
to fine looking plants which are grow
ing in wide spaces, where the stand is
thin, or in Spots unusually fertile or
moist. The good appearance of such
plants may be due to their favorable
location and not to their natural ten
dency to produce a good yield. AL
ways select the seed from plants
which are growing under average con-
ditions of all kinds. If, then, unusu-
al plants are found, it is certain that
their good yield is due only to their
own capacity to make such a yield.
These plants will repeat their per-
Torrance in another year. The sec
ond point to be observed is in avoid
ing the selection of fine looking ears
which are not borne by high yielding
plants. 1t is easy to make this mis-
take, for the natural tendency of the
Impractical selector is to consider a
good looking ear good for seed. Many
poor seed ears would be gathered if
this tendency were allowed to influence
the selection, for while it is true that
good seed ears are usually good look
ing, it by no means follows that all
good looking ears are good for seed.
1t must be clearly borne in mind, says
the department of farm crops of the
University of Missouri College of Ag-
riculture, that seed corn is selected
for the kind of ears that will yield the
most grain. These may or may not
be the kind that would make a high
score as show corn. The selection of
show corn is based mainly on certain
fancy points of the ear which do not
call for special consideration in the
selection of seed corn. To repeat:
seed corn should be selected from
plants which yield the most grain, re-
CARELESS of the appearance of the ears,
provided they are sound and mature.
Among plants which are equal in
yield, it is also advisable to pay at
tention to the form of the plant. Short,
thick stalks, with ears set at a medium
distance from the ground are desira-
VIC, LII ouIl oISiiho are IlOt easily
broken down or blown over, and the
ears are at a convenient height for
husking. But too much attention
should never be given to any special
character of the plant other than
yield, for it is possible to produce by
selection highly developed peculiar
ity of the plant which will lower its
yield.
1t is advisable to gather two or
three times the quantity Of seed that
will be needed, so that further careful
selection can be made Of the ears that
are in the proper condition for stor-
ing. The ears selected for storing
should be solid and heavy for their
size. Solidity indicates thorough ma
turity; weight indicates a high per-
centage of grain. All ears with big
snappy cobs should be thrown out; al
so should those which show signs of
early decay.
The way in which the seed is actual
ly gathered in the field is best left to
the convenience of the individual
farmer. 1t makes no difference how
this is done so long as the rules for
selection herein given are observed.
The main thing is to make the selec
ton.