The Little River news., 1918-12-04
TERMINATION TESTS '..1.'DE: IF SEED CORN
TWO iJlRCS OF SAMPLES TEST ED SHOW e5 PER CENT OR
 BETTER.

By L. ". Osborn, Agricultural Exper-
 i1cnt Station, U. of A. Fayetteville.
 GeImina&on tests made of Arkansas seed corn indicate that the seed situa- tion in this state is much more favor able than in Northern corn-belt states. Tests were made by the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Arkansas under the direction of MT. l.. w. Osborn with over one hun dred samples sent in by county agents and farmers from about 40 counties of the state. While the percentage of germination of these samples varies from 56 to 100 per cent, the average of all samples sent in was 94 per cent Two-thirds of the samples sent in test ed 95 per cent or better SS per Cent ot the samples tested 90 per cent or better, six per cent ranged between 30 and 90 per cent and five per cent below 80 per cent
 "There is danger that late planted corn, and corn ill general which ma tured late, may have an impaired ger imitation due to the fact that the early freeze of last fall may have caught the crop before it was fully matured or when it was full of moisture" says MT. Osborn. "In Arkansas, corn planted at the usual time in early spring natures in August or Septem- Der, and ordinarily is well dried out before severe freezes take place. We'll dried mature corn will withstand very low temperatures without seriously af- fecting the vitality Of course, there is always the danger that even com pletely dried corn may absorb moiss- ure if exposed during damp weather in winter ,and that subsequent freezes has been stored when thoroughly dry in a fairly close crib will usually re- tain it's vitality and make dependable seed. Corn stored damp is llkely to have it's germination lowered.
 Test Corn To Be Sure Of Quality
 ordinarily very little attention is given to testing seed corn in this state. The extreme cold of the past winter, however, is sufficient reason to justify making tests to determine tho quality of the seed to be planted. A good index of the ability of seed corn to germinate may be obtained by the following method: Choose 100 ears at random and remove three kernels from each at different parts of tho car, as the butt, tip and middle. Mix the kernels to make a composite sam pie.
 How To Make Germinator.
 "A good germinator iS made by us ing two pie tins or dinner plates. Fill one with sand. sawdust, or soil. Place clean cloth on this and spread the kernels out to be germinatcd. Place a second cloth over the seeds and wet down. Then invegt the second pie tin or dinner plate over the first so as to make moist chamber within. Keep moist in warm place.
 "Six days is a sufficient time to al low for germination. Seed germinating 90 to 93 per cent may be considered fair, 94-97 good, and 9S-100 excellent. Because of the shortage of farm labor it is of greatest importance that seed having a high germination, 95 per cent, be used to avoid the necessity of thick planting and subsequent thin ming. With seed germinating 90 per cent or less, it would seem best either to make an individual ear test or to obtain new seed having higher ger nina tion."