The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-21
FARM NOTES By
THE COUNTY AGENT

teption by the farmers of the county
is the storage of sweet potatoes. The
common practice is to bank them in
hills out in the open, which results IN
large per centage of loss from de-
cay. This annual waste can be avoided
IL the essentials of good storage are
observed in the use of some kind of a
storage house. The requisites for
good keeping of potatoes are ID they
should be fully matured before dig
ging, (2) carefully handled, (3) thor
oughly cured after being stored, and
(4) kept at a uniform temperature
after being cured. To observe these
points to the best advantage, it will
be necessary to have house planned
and built for this specific purpose
after the design of the potato houses
worked out by the u. s. department
of agriculture. But in view of the
expense of building at present prices
of materials and labor, it will be wise
to look around and see if there is not
some unused tenant house or some
other old building on the place that
can be converted into potato storage
house at very little expense. TIL.
same methods of insulating and ven-
tilating can be used in remodeling old
structures as are recommended for q
new storage house and, while in every
case the worked over building may
not be just as conveniently arranged
as new one planned for the special
purpose of a storage house. will prove
just as successful. Any one inter-
ested in potato storage can obtain in
formation from this office as to plans
for buildings and methods of handling
the potatoes.
The first step in the selection of
seed corn is the chosing the stalk.
Seed ears should not be taken from
any but desirable stalks and the only
way to be sure of doing this is to go
out in the field now before the stalks
are too ripe and flag them while their
Individual characteristics can be judg-
ed. After the stalk is full ripe and
has become dry it is difficult to pass
or its real merits. One of the best
ways to mark stalk is to tie rag
string around it.
The things TO look for in stalk
are a good root system, a thick base
gradually tapering toward the top, 9
large number of wide leaves. freedom
i from suckers and a good ear placed
slightly below the middle point of 9
stalk of medium height. Also, care
| should be taken that no smut anG
barren stalks are in the immediate
vicinity of a stalk that is selected. Il
should be borne in mind that the stall
is the individual and plays as large {
part in corn production as the indi
vidual does in livestock production
And all of US know how careful the
animal breeder is in choosing the in
dividuality Of his breeding stock
Likewise we must give as much i'm
| potrance to the good points of th,
corn plant, il we expect TO breed NJ
our corn to as good performance al
the livestock breeder has brought hi
animals.
/ The second step in gathering seet
corn is consideration of the ear. Thi
can be done after the ears have beel
gathered from the desirable stalk
which have been selected and marke'
as indicated above. Only ears of goo'
shape, having well filled grains fit
ting tightly together. with straigh
rows should be taken for seed pur
/ poses. Attention to these points vii
improve the visible character of an,
corn, but the improvement in pro
ductivity must be accomplished b,
persistent selection of the most pro
ductive ears. VIM. A. Seasons,
County Agent.