The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-24
MUCH SEED CORN
Low IN VITALITY
Seed Testing Campaign in
This County Surpris-
ing in Results
SOME EARS TEST
BUT 8 PER CENT.

Extension Service Expert Locates 1000
Bushels Available for Seed-Plans
for Cooperative spraying-Pig Club
Work Under Way
The seed testing campaign which
the school children and teachers are
conducting III cooperation with the
school superintendent and Farm Blu
reau is progressing in many parts Of
Windham county +. G. Hayward Of
sisting the Farm Bureau. During the
past week he has given seed testing
demonstrations before the teachers Of
Putnev, Westminster. Dummerston.
Brattlcboro, Vernon, Guilford, Haifax
and Marlboro. These demonstrations
have been arranged by the school su-
Iperintendcnts at convenient points
throughout their districts. Mr.. Hay
ward is now IN Bellows Falls assisting ,
| Supt McGinnis in seed testing demon |
STATIONS in his district In Vernon /
| the school children are already at !
work testing seed for their parents. /
Samples OF flint corn. sweet corn, soy
beans. oats, etc, have been started
and results viii lac available very soon
There is a large amount of flint corn
available for seed purposes in Wind
ham county. Under supervision of the
Farm Bureau samples have been taken
from % farms where fair sized lots are
offered for sale. These samples have
been sent to Burlington for germna
ton tests and the results of these
tests are beginning to come back. It
has been a great surprise to many to
find how low vitality some of this seed
has. y few lots test above go per cent.
tut many of them run below 50 per
cent and very frequently as low as 20
per cent, One large lot of corn which
looked all right for seed purposes was
50 poor that only per gent germinat-
ed. Another sample which was pur-
chased TO send out Of town for seed
purposes was tested and only three
: ears ont OF II were fit for planting
| This seems to be very typical of all
| seed corn this year and it is not safe
| for amy one to risk a .srop BY .,pla4t-,
| ing corn which has not been tested
| In this connection today 5 weekly re-
| port of County Agent A. w Swccton
| to the director of county agents is Of
/ interest. lie SAYS:
: Mr.. Hayward has nearly completed
taking seed corn samples In Dunn
lncrston and Putncv this week he has
located about 900 bushels which are
available for seed if the termination
test is satisfactory. There are a few
more scattering lots TO take and we
will coQipletc our canvass for seed corn.
= During the week Mr. Hayward has
given seed testing demonstrations in
several places On Thursday he met
G with the teachers from Westminster
+ Putney, Dummerston and Vernon at
= the Farm Bureau Office in BrattIeboro
e On Friday he gave a similar demon
stration at teachers meeting III
Green River, the teachers of HalifaN
and Guilford being present. We arc
preparing window exhibits to place ii
store windows about the county during
the week of April - to May 3, whicl
we will observe as better seed week
in Windham county The teachers anC
school children seem much intereste,
and one school in Vernon has alread,
- begun the seed testing work Sample
other crops have been brought in Thi
g seed testing work should be of mucl
~ value to the parents because no one ca
-, afford to plant seed this year unless
"a has been tested for termination. I
plant corn which has not been teste
r invites poor yields or the failure o
m crops.
nd Allen p. Beach, of the Vermont ex
tension service spent two days j
- Windham county and gave talks Q
u gardening at the schools in Saxton
River and Bellows Falls, also at til
| high school building in Brattleboro an
I at the Hillside Farmers club III Yves
Brattlcboro. The two evening tall
| were illustrated with lantern slides.
Attended small meeting at f.
Phelps :, Brattleboro, to assist in NAL
nS ing arrangements for co-operatiN
spraying for this coming summer.
There continues to be large nun
my Der of inquiries concerning the purcha
lht ing OF spring wheat seed. We are 70
va tunate in having a good supply of sec
= in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls aud
h'' most of the adjoining towns.
The arrangements for the Vernon
. National Bank Pig club are compile
and circulars have been mailed to :
the Pig club members in last year
club. There seems to be considerab
interest and the applications are begi
l uinp q como