The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-03-21

in Seed CORN
COUNTY AGENT HUNTEMER EX-
PECTS TO HELP FARMERS IN
SPRING SELECTION.
COOPERATION IS ASKED FOR
DIRECTIONS FOR PREPARING
CORN GIVEN CLEARLY AND
DEFINITELY.

Due to the early frosts of last fall
which occurred in this section long
before the majority of corn fields in
Minnesota showed any matured corn,
we have at this time to contend with
one of the most difficult seed corn
problems in the history of the state.
during the past two weeks the writer
has conducted seed corn demonstra-
ton tests at four different towns in
Stearns county. In all of these tests
ten or more farmers have been asked
to furnish the corn which was per-
haps the choice ears selected from
among the available seed corn supply.
In all of these tests the per cent of
termination for corn selected last
fall almost regardless of the time of
selection and methods used in stor-
ing it during the winter, has shown to
be very low. If it was ever necessary
for the farmers Of this county to test
every ear of corn intended for plant
ing, we have reached that time now.
No farmer should shell his%seed corn
before running a termination test of
some kind. There is no hurry in
Smelling seed corn at this time of the
year and termination tests conducted
on shelled corn are of comparatively
small value compared with individual
ear tests.
wish it were possible for our office
to test every ear of corn intended for
this springs planting in Stearns
county but the amount which it is
possible for us to test either at the
Quoted at the farm home and all work
conduct seed corn termination tests,
will be only very small per cent
Of the seed corn which will be re-
quired for this springs planting. The
best we can do is to exhibit at diff
ferent towns throughout the county
different individual ear tests with the
hope that the corn tests are operated,
the necessity of testing particularly
this season and the practicalness of
these tests, will return to their homes
and follow out the directions offered
in the operating of termination tests
on their entire supply of seed corn.
Between now and April Is I hope
to conduct seed corn demonstration
tests at every town in Stearns county
and I hope that the farmers of the
county will cooperate in furnishing
ear corn for these tests in the amounts
asked and that all farmers in the
county will postpone Smelling of their
seed corn until you have run or had
run a termination ties tof some kind.
These termination tests can be con-
Quoted at the farm hame and all work
of setting, caring for and reading
the test performed by children of
school age during the evening hours
if the corn growers will only coop
crate with them. In the sawdust ger
mination box made thirty inches
square, inside measurement, and four
inches deep in which is first placed
about two inches of moist, well packed
sawdust upon which is laid a ruled
cloth, squares marked off 21a by 21a
inches and the squares numbered from
one to one hundred (1-100) leaving
the outer margain of the cloth which
would be two and one-half incres un-
ruled. This cloth can be pinned to
the corners of the 80 by 80 box, then
the ears numbered from LOO to cor
respond with the squares upon the
cloth. Six kernels should be removed
from ear No. ! and placed in square
No. /, six~from ear No. 2 and placed
in square No. 2 and so on until six
kernels were removed from all ears
and placed in their respective squares.
Tip and butt kernels which are.
usually removed before planting in
order to give the seed a more uni,
form grade should not be placed in
the termination test. After the
kernels are placed on all the squares
meisten anG.h II cloth which should be
of fine grade muslin, the same as
the ruled cloth, and place this care
fully over the kernels, being sure not
to remove any of the kernels from
the squares in which they belong.
Then pack on this gunny-sacking an
inch and a half or about that amount
of moistened sawdust., Set the test in
warm place or better a room which
will be held at about from Sc to So
degrees Fahrenheit and within six
to eight days your test will be ready
to read.
The rag doll method and modifca-
tions of the rag-doll method also
proves very easy method and at the
same time mutually accurate me-
thod to use in running individual ear
tests. If it is impossible to obtain
sawdust the box of the same size
as the one described in the sawdust
germinatic method of testing could be
filled with soil and squares marked
off by running cords across the box
then recrossing these cords at right
angles making the same number of
squares as you would have on the
ruled cloth and then planting in this
under test and remembering the plac-