The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-10-30

EARLY selection OF SEED corn Is Oh
special Importance this year. accord
ing to specialists Of the department Of
agriculture. Much Of the corn crop is
at least two weeks late, and early fall
frost would cause repetition Of the
conditions I'm 1917, when large part
of the corn crop was frozen and was
unfit for seed The following spring,
seed corn was very scarce and high.
Good seed corn is the secret Of a
good corn crop. and autumn is the
time for the selection of corn TO be
planted the following season. Many
farmers put off seed selection until
the spring when there is Scarcity OF
good seed corn. There is danger In this
delay every year, but when the corn
crop is late, as 1t is this year, the
danger is especially great. Each
spring the department Of agriculture
receives reports from many sections
telling of the willingness Of farmers to
pay good prices for seed corn and
their inability to obtain 1t.
This scarcity could be prevented by
selecting the seed when it is most
abundant and when the very best can
be obtained-at ripening time when 1t
has been in no way reduced In vital
ity. Many let this opportunity pass,
the farmers expecting to purchase their
seed corn, only to find that they can
not buy at any price In the winter or
spring as good seed as they could have
selected in the autumn.
Requirements for Seed.
Until a community has its expert
enced and honest corn breeder, the best
place for the farmer to obtain seed
corn Is from fields on his own farm
or In his neighhorhood that were plant
ed with variety that has generally
proved most successful In that local
ity. BY far too many farmers consid-
or seed good simply because 1t VIII
grow. To be first-class, seed corn
must be-
Well adapted to the seasonal and
soil conditions where II Is to be plant
ed.
From well-grown productive plants
of productive variety.
Well matured and preserved from
ripening time to planting time in a
manner that will retain its full produc-
tivity.
The importance of these three re-
auirements has been demonstrated
through experiments by the office or
corn Investigations, bureau of plant
Industry. United States department OF
agriculture. and the results given In
Farmers Bulletin No. 1175. recently
published by that department.
At corn-ripening time. specialists OF
the department advise. drop all other
business and select an abundance OF
seed corn. The process Is too impor-
tant to be conducted incidentally while
husking. Seed corn should be select
ed from stalks standing where they
grew. In this way the seed corn can
be obtained from
Stalks that have an inherent ten
dency to yield well, as shown by their
superiority over surrounding stalks
that grew under similar conditions.
Such seed Inherits high-producing pow
ef.
Stalks without suckers. Such seed
produces fewer suckers than seed from
sucker-bearing stalks.
Storm-proof stalks with ears at.
desirable height.
Stalks that are free from disease.
Among the best methods for the con-
troll Of several important corn diseases,
including the ear and stalk rot. Is the
selection OF seed corn from disease-
free stalks. The selection OF disease
free seed corn is discussed In Farmers
Bulletin No. 1176, entitled ''rhe Con-
tro, Of Corn Root, Stalk, aud Ear Rot
Diseases"
Husk Ears From Stalks.
AS soon as the corn natures, the
farmer should go through his field with
a seed picking bag and husk the ears
from the stalks that have produced
the most corn without having any spe-
cial advantages. such as space. mois-
ture or fertility. Avoid the large
ears on stalks standing singly with an
unusual amount OF space around Them
Preference should be given the plants
that have produced most heavily m
competition with full stand of less
productive plants. In all localities the
inherent tendency of the plant to pro-
duce heavily % sound. dry. sielied
corn is Of mast importance.
l.afe-matnrng plants with ears that
IRE heavy barause VI tiie excessive
amount VI sap should he Ignored. Sap
piness greatly Increases the harvest