The courier-index., 1921-04-08
MUST MAINTAIN PURITY
 OF ADAPTED VARIETIES

"One of the most difficult prob lems confronting Arkansas fafhfers at the present time is that of null tiplying and maintaining the purity of good seed of adapted varieties" says L. ". Osborn, assistant az ronomist, College of Agriculture, University of Arkansas. Farmers will frequently introduce seed of good varieties, but their method of growing and harvesting same are such that one does not dare to risk going to them a year or so after the original seed is intro- duced with a view of securing seed stocks.
 "The best solution of the prob lem that has been observed is what is called the Kennedy Plan,' put into operation by Steele Kennedy, county agent of Cleburne county in cooperation with K. K. Thatcher, district agent of North Central Ar kansas. MT. Kennedy secured the cooperation of two of the bank CTS of Heber Springs, W. C.. John son and R. Fl. Dickenhorst, and purchased several bushels of ap- proved seed of variety recommend ed by the experiment station. One peck of the corn was given to a co-operator in each township of the county, to be grown for seed purposes. Each co-operator agreed to grow the seed according to the seed requirements of the Arkansas Seed Growers Association. The i of Mir Kennedy.
 ''In the fall a corn show was held in Heber Springs, in which many farmers of the county inter- ested in corn growing made exhibits. The corn show was judged by a representative of the Arkansas Ex- pertinent Station, and recommends tions were made at this time in re- gard to best types for selection. The corn show is great asset be- | cause it brings the farmers to- gether to discuss seed problems. About this time the field of each co-operator was inspected by a rep resentative of the Arkansas Seed | Growers Association to determine whether the farmer had maintained the field requirements in so far as distance from neighboring fields was concerned, to insure freedom from crossing with other corn. All fields which were properly located as a result of this inspection were pass ed. The farmers passing field in- spection were advised to send corn for sample inspection to the Sec retary of the association. The sam pie inspection consisted of five rep resentative ears of a variety, and quart of shelled corn, the latter to be representative of all seed la- ter to be sold by that farmer. A number of Mir. Kennedy's cooper ators accordingly sent samples to the secretary, and all but one pass ed the official test at the experiment station. The person who failed did so because of low germination. The farmers who did pass both the field and the sample inspections of the association are now selling seed under the Arkansas Seed Growers Association.
 As result of the work which MT. Kennedy has done at Heber Springs there is no doubt but that much larger acreage of Paymaster corn will be planted in Cleburne county this year, and that the puri- ty of this corn will very largely be maintained. The greatest asset of the association work is the fact that it creates an interest on the part of the farmers in good seed grow ing, and also responsibility to the Seed Growers Association. The Association in the sale of it's seed also conforms to the State Seed law. The official tests which are reported to the secretary back to the farmer are such as to conform to this law"