The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-01-31
SEED CORN |SLOW
IN GROW|NGPOWER
Samples Tested by College Show
Alarming Condition Prevails.
GENERAL TESTING is URGED
Only This, Results Of Investigations
Made Clear, Will Prevent Plant
ing of Much Dead Corn.
BY PROF. J. r. cox,
Department of Farm Crops, Michigan
Agricultural College.

| corn Is perhaps harder to find in Mich
igan this season than 1t has been in
! years and years is a condition OF when
! farmers as q whole have become so
painfully aware that few If any or
them are inclined to be thankful for
having this scarcity called to their at
tention again. What is bothering most
corn growers now, If they happen to
have seed, is the question, "Will my |
corn grow when / plant itT-and the
matter Is one about which the average |
farmer is entitled to feel some concern.
The mere fact that man may possess !
seed corn is no guaranty for him that
he will be able TO raise a crop from
it this coming spring, for the condi-
ton of the seed stock is such that
much of it is hardly fit for stock feed.
The individual who plants his SEED
corn this spring without first deter
mining it's germinability by the test
ing of every ear, will find that large
part of II will stay just where 1t has
been put. without ever showing sign
of life or an inclination 10 be useful.
Without concrete information TO sup
port il. this statement might be looked
upon as being at least somewhat over
drawn, but as every farmer knows the
late crop, wet fall and severe early
freezes have greatly lowered the vi
tality of much corn held for seed-low-
cred II much more than most people
have thought, as results being OBJ
: tanned from tests conducted at the col
lege are only too clearly showing.
] The farm crops department OF the
D college during late December and
throughout January obtained samples
J of seed corn from practically all OF
Michigan's growing sections, and these
+ have been tested for germinabiiity.
The results are little short of alarm
ing
/ In nine samples of old corn tested,
{ only GLIB kernels in 100 grew; In Sc
lected and dried corn the results were
{ hardly any better, for in p samples
tested Just go kernels grew in 100
I'm nine samples of early selected and
dried corn the percentage OF gernlha-
ton was 49, All other corn proved
TO be almost worthless for seed, for In
IL samples of corn selected late only
SOL per cent of the kernels GERM
mated, while in all samples OF helc
r. corn the percentage of termination
= was but 1913. In the case OF eigh
samples selected from inside the shocl
- the percentage of termination was bu
6.47: i'm eight samples of corn from
20 outside the shock only 40 per cent o
20 the kernels terminated. while in 4
a SAMPLES of crib corn only 20.S per cen
of the kernels grew.
: A majority of Michigan's corr
d growers, perhaps, always make praC
M tice of testing their corn before plant
81 ing. and for them these figures tell
story with which they are more or les
s familiar, but for the man who has bee
VI inclined to be somewhat haphazart
rs the results of the test should serve a
z# a warning he cannot afford to ignore
$ They show that in most of Michigan
sA and probably In all of it-corn fror
Mi the shock has been ruined for see
z$ purposes and but little In the cribs
fit for planting. Only corn that ma
Ss heen harvested early and proper
&| dried will make good seed and muc
of this is of surprisingly low germ
N nation-and must be tested. No Int
HS ligent farmer should overlook this pr
#A caution.
#3 Most corn growers are acquainte
b more or less with the several method
for making ear termination tests
St sand box, rag doll, sawdust box, ar
81 others-all of which are efficient.
3 YOU do not happen to have met Wi
l anv of these. information about the
Hy can be obtained from your county agl
- cultural agent, or from the farm GRO
department of the college, In East La
sing. Dead ears and ears of low &c
in mination can by these methods
the weeded out, and In many cases ev'
led crib corn. IL It Is carefully work
Tez over. can be made to supply suffice
air good seed for planting. BY the e
,es. test the ears that will grow can easi
'es- be selected.
UGH If for one reason or another y
dis NAV be unable yourself to make {
ere necessary tests the colleges can be
of assistance, for. as has been Its pr
is flee in the past II will carry on tel
live both for termination and disease
.ad- such samples of seed corn-or of sc
ten beans-as are mailed here. The sa
ives niles should contain one kernel of &C
now from individual ears of corn scatter
ling throughout your lot. One hundr
ANS such kernels will be sufficient for
sa- sample. When submitting the sam
heir state also the time when the corn v
ften harvested. stored, the amount on ha
vid- and whether or not II has been expos
the TO freezing, for many inquiries for 81
Ient. corn come to M. A. c. and by
rous means sources of supply can be
the Gated.
ling. Whore II is desired to have 81
n by heons tested 100 of these, taken ca