Milford chronicle., 1928-11-30
SEED CORN TREATMENT
PROVES SUCCESSFUL
[COntinued from frsr pagel

LQWttHbE0 JSNW t"~N F~S~l
been planted with untreated seed.
In order that additional data might
he obtained concerning the value Oi
tbis seed treatment, arrangements
were made by County Agent Russell
r Wilson to conduct similar lemon
strations on twelve farms in differ
ont sections of the county again
this year. OF these twelve demon
strations, six consisted of compar-
ison of Semesan Jr. and Merko, and
four plots demonstrated the use OF
Semesan Jr. alone, while the seed In
the plots on the two remaining farms
was treated with Bayer Dust. Each
of these farmers was instructed 10
treat his seed corn in the same man
ner as seed wheat is treated, using
two ounces of the dust materials 10
each bushel of shelled corn, ana 10
plant the treated corn separately
with the remainder of the field serV-
ing as a check area in which the
untreated corn was planted
Taking into consideration the
Yields from all the treated plots on
the nine farms from which RECORDS
were obtained this fall, it was touhd
that the treated corn produced ON
the average 54.2 bushels per acre,
while the untreated plots yielded
but 48 bushels, or an average IN
crease of 6.2 bushels per acre. rms
is 2.7 bushels more to the acre than
the treated plots produced over the
nntreated areas in the four demon
strations in this county in 1927. AS
a supplementary phase of this pro-
iect a sample of corn was taken
from each of these farms and tested
for termination by the seed lIbora-
tory of the State Board of Agricul-
ture. These tests showed the aver
age termination to be 93.7 per cent,
which might be regarded as a fair
representation of the general Condi-
tion of the seed corn in the county
last spring.
While this increase in yield is not
very great, it is sufficient to warrant
the treatment of the seed, as the
cost of treating amounts to the
small sum of four or five cents an
acre. Upon examining the corn pro-
duced on these farms it was also OBJ
served that the ears from the treat
ed areas were more solid and there
was less soft and immature corn
than in the remainder of each field.
The elimination of a large percen-
tage of soft and Gull corn is an i'm
portant factor in the harvesting OF
the crop, as well as in carrying out
the program of economic produce
ton.
In order to determine the spread
of influence as the result of the dem
onstrations conducted in 1926 and
1927, and the publicity which has
been given to the value of seed treat
ment as an important factor in the
production of a profitable crop OF
corn, a survey was made of the
amount of dust disinfectants sold to
the farmers in Kent county this year.
Contacts were established with
dealers who handled these dust
materials, and the result of this sur
vey indicated that ZIG pounds had &
been used. AS one pound will treat
eight bushels of shelled corn, and
that bushel of shelled
corn will plant six acres, it may be
calculated that this quantity of dust
was sufficient to allow for 1O.36S
acres of treated corn ITO be planted I
in this county during the spring OF
1928. No comparison can be made
Of the acreage of treated corn for the :
past two years, however, as this in
formation was not secured in 1926 !
)r 1927.