Pocahontas star herald., 1924-10-09
From The County Agent
Selection of Seed Corn


ed varieties. A greater portion Of
these native varieties are low yielding
ana should be replaced with varieties
capable Of high yields.
No complicated system Of corn breed
ing is necessary to improve corn, Any
man who will take Il little time at
gathering time can improve wonder
fully ON his corn.
Field clcction-Erfcctive improve
ment of any corn variety can be ac-
complshcd by field selection followed
later By a careful selection Of the ears
for desirable types after gathering
Many important commercial varieties
Of corn have been developed by field
selection. BY field selection it is posSi-
bic to change gradually the stalk char
actcristics and to improve the sound
ness Of grain of variety.
Desirable Types-Under southern
conditions, a tight huSl which covers
the ear closely and leaves no exposed
! tips increases the sOundness. a drOop-
! inc ear is not likely to be damaged by
rains as an erect one. The breeder
should, therefore, select chose ears
which are dropping and which are well
covered over the tip. Select ears from
vigorous stalks of extreme size. Keep
! in mind that the characteristics of n
variety may be gradually changed by
selection. If One-ear variety is de-
! sired, select ears from stalks bearing
one ear. If a twO-car or more pro
! life strain is desired, select seed from
desirable stalks bearing the desired
number Of ears. The preference Of
the market should govern the type
which is chosen.
How To Field SelcCt-In selecting
seed corn from the field, obtain a large
burlap bag with straps attached so that
it may be slung over the shoulder to
hold the corn. Go through the field,
taking two rows at a time and select
seed ears from the desirable stalks
When ears from twO-ear stalks are
| chosen, it is usually best to give pre-
ference to the top ear which is nearly
always the best one. A much larger
quantity should be selected than is
usually needed for seed because some
of the ears will be Olf-type when husk-
ed. A good rule is to select ten times
as much corn in the field as is needed
for planting.
Ear Type SelectiOn-In ear-type Sc
lection, the breeder should keep in
mind the fact that a roughly indented
ear is less desirable than an ear with
Il smoother indentatiOn. Ears with a
| smoother indentatiOn are, as a rule,
less susceptible to carrot and mOlds
than are ears with a rough, pinched
! indentatiOn. Ears with large cob
and clumsy appearance are less desir-
able. as Il rule, than the more slender
ears having smaller cob. Ears with
straight rows and regular, uniform
drop in planting Ears showing an
appreciativc damage by rat or corn
ear worm should he eliminated and
the ears which have passed through
the season without material damage
should be chosen.
Storage and Protcction-When field
selection is completed, careful precau-
tions should be taken to store the ears
for protection. Provided the ears are
thoroughly air-dried when harvested,
storage is an easy matter for the ears
may be placed i'm barrels or other air
tight, mOuse-proOf containers and
treated with carbon di-sulphide against
wecvilS when necessary. Carbon di-
sulphide should he used at the rate of
one pound to 1000 cubic feet of space.
Ears which contain an excess of mOis-
ture when harvested should be first
stored i'm dry warm place where the
air circulates freely until fully dried.
To facilitate drying, the ears may be
placed on shelves in the granary or
tied in strings and hung from the raft
ers in the barn or hay shed After
drying, the ears may be stored in tight
containers for protection until planting
time Seed selection at this time OF
year is of vital importance. The corr
in Randolph has been damaged con
siderably by the corn ear worm and II
the seed is not selected at gathering
time the result will be that a large
quantity Of the planting seed will be
an inferior quality and consequently
low yields for next year.
Nail a box on the side of your wagor
and when a desirable ear is found il
gathering throw it into this box anC
your seed corn problem is solved.
Cows and Chickens
Beginning with the first frosts anC
continuing up to spring is the time con