The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-09-18
ELECTION OF BEST
CORN SEEDS URGED
.nvTsED TO CHOOSE EARS
~ FROM STANDING STALKS
TO INCREASE YIELD.

Cince the day ouU years ago WITCH
comanto taught the early colonists
Squ"i 70 make their corn produce more
n IDnm,dantly by putting fish in each
s sg corn growers have learned no
mn NIL valuable lesson than that yields
hlo, he influenced greatly and much
n IaS9r saved by the simple expedient
laOo ",arefullv selecting the best seed
u in the fall from the standing
e enfLs and curing them carefully out
s ~ tbe way of the weather. Yields can
o. increased in this way more surely
va more cheaply than by any other
measures, say agronomists OF the u
Z department. of agriculture.
That improvements are needed on
thousands of farms is indicated by the
, oreTage Weld for the United States,
a .b;ch is shown to be only little
, ware than Is bushels to the acre. Such
mn miserable yield is made all the more
aonsoicuous by the fact that in prac-
t t;raIiy every iocality-there are more
.hon . few farmers who grow rs or
to0 bushels to the acre year after
occasionally we hear of corn
SSInh" bow who husks 200 bushels from
his single acre.
Nature Only Producer.
Every spring good seed corn is
,oarce and as writer in bulletin
;"smed bv the United States once said:
@If GOOD seed corn could be manu-
factnred in a few weeks time facto-
RES would be working day and night
rom March until June" But only ma
+rre 2 slow worker, can turn out this
orodrct Fall is the time to pick it, and
n the spring the best seed is the prop
nrtv Of the forehanded man.
One OF the most important things
to remember is that seed OF any kind
i not good simply because it will
crow There are times when the man
Who plants it might be better off If it
would not sprout at all for in that
ease he would get other seed. Broad
" there are two kinds of seed which
viii grow. Ali of it can be called
gern1inable, but the only kind worth
having is that which is viable-the
lind that not only has strength
enough to push the plan above ground
but which will produce a flourishing
plant and. in the case of corn, with
one or two good big ears on it.
Experiments Cited.
Experiments have shown that there
are four principal things to make sure
Of in seed corn. Always select the
kind OF corn that is we'll adapted to
the climate and to the soil where it IS
TO be grown. Second the variety
should be one known for high yields.
Third. seed will be good when ready
to plant in the spring, only if cured
carefully indoors and kept dry all
winter. Fourth, the best seed should
be free from injury by insects and
disease, which may indicate resistance
to injection.
Good farmers make seed corn gath
ering special task, which they per
4 form themselves to be sure OF the
& best possible results AS soon as the
! ears are ripe they wade through the
8 fields and pick good ears growing at
y the proper height on strong stalks.
4 Later. perhaps along in the winter,
4 thew 90 over the ears and take out
4 those with defects, and then make a
4 final selection in the spring,
4 man who knows the ways OF
4 plants will not pick his seed from
those stalks which have had special
4 advantages, such as a favorable loca-
i ton at the side of the field, or alone in
4 a hill. or from a hill with open space
ground it. He will take seed from
\ stalks which have produced a lot OF
4 corn under ordinary conditions OF
competition in the field.
Dry Process Important.
Seed corn may seem to be dry when
4 brought in from the field, but the
chances are that it is not Much good
n seed often is spoiled berause the ears
Il are piled up without a chance for the
Il air to circulate around them. One OF
n the best and cheapest ways to dry
seed ears is to tie several of them
along a piece of Irvine, the ears being
tied around the middle and spaced
several inches apart. These strings Of
q ears may be tied to cross pieces nea1
v the ceiling OF the drying room. There
are wire and wood drying racks and
81 an ingenious wireholder may be made
q by cutting up electrically welded wo-
ven fence wire, alternate pieces OF the
cross-wire being left on alternate up
ID right or stay wires The end DieceS OF