Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1919-01-23
RAG DOLLS Good .
AS SEED Tester
Various Kinds of Apparatus Are
for Sale by Different Com
merCiaI Firms.
SIMPLE MATERIAL NEEDED
Bleached Muslin Is Cheapest and Has
Given Entire Satisfaction-Ker-
neIs Should Be Sprouted
in Five Days.

A young lady-a very young lady
in Union county, Kentucky, is believed
to have done at least as much as any
American of her years in helping to
increase food production in this coun-
try. She gave all her clothes for use
in making rag-doll testers of the ger
minating power of seed corn. And her
years are only two.
Her father, a county agent of the
United States department of agricul-
ture and the Kentucky. extension or
ganization, used up all the spare cloth
around the house in making testers
for the farmers in his territory, and
then he turned to the baby'S ward
robe. The need for testers was acute,
and baby didn't need as many clothes
as formerly. The result was that the
baby had to wear tub until her moth
er could prepare her raiment.
The seed corn situation in the spring
of 1918 was serious. 1t Is not expect
ed to be so serious in 1919, but in many
sections of the country farmers will
have need for rag-doll testers or other
apparatus in finding what seed will
produce corn and what will not. They
may not have to use the baby's clothes,
but they should be ready with testers.
How to Make Rae-Doll Testers.
Various kinds of apparatus for test
ing seed corn are for sale by COM
mercial firms. Others may be manu-
featured at home with simple mate
rials. Some of these testers, such as
the sand-box tester and the sawdust- !
box tester, are described in various |
publications of the department of ag- |
riculture and the state agricultural eX- |
pertinent stations. The rag-doll seed I
tester has proved to be one of the
most convenient and satisfactory
forms, as well as one of the least ex-
pensive.
The cheapest material which has
given entire satisfaction is bleached
muslin. The muslin should be cut into
strips 16 inches wide and from to
feet along. With pencil or crayon
draw a line down the center of the
strip. Leaving at least 4 inches ut
the ends, mark the strip crosswlse
every 4 inches, numbering the sec
tions. :
Using the Rag Dolls.
Moisten the tester before putting the
kernels upon it, Number the ears and :
place them in definite order. From
places on ear No. l take out :
ten kernels and place them in section /:
No. 1. Similarly take ten kernels from /:
ear No. =, place them in section No. >, /:
and continue in this manner until
every section of the tester has been
illed. Care should be taken to place
The kernels some distance from the
dividing lines, so that slight displace-
nents caused by handling the testers ,
will not mix the samples. Fold each ,
side of the tester over, so that the
,dges meet in the middle. Press the
10th down firmly over the kernels,
ind, using cob or some other cylln- /,
lrical object as n core, roll the tester. |
Tie cord or slip rubber band /
lround the middle, and the doll is COM
,lete. I
The Testing Process. i
The dolls should he thoroughly Inn
nersed In lukewarm water. From two
o four hours have been found sulli. h
lent for the soaking, and 1t Is best =
lot to soak for more than ten hours. /
remove the dolls from the water. al. c
ow them to drain, and place them
shere they may be kept warm and |;
1oist During the termination period :
be dolls should not be subjected to '