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Show CARE m SELECTING NEXT YEAR'S I SEED CORN H By S. M. MILLER. Hl In growing corn for seed the farmer must first find tho variety beat adapted to his needs and then work to bring it asnear perfection as possible. It is alwayB best to select tho varieties grown on ooll and In the climate whore the Beed is to bo improved, because be-cause the corn plant Is peculiarly sensitive sen-sitive to its surroundings. Corn that grows well on certain soils will often, if transplanted to other soils prove a failure, and tho revorso 1h true. That la to say, corn which Bhowa up badly on certain soils, may develop to perfection on othor soils that aro rightly adapted to Its needs. This is a very Important factor In tho selection of need, and the breeder should never go far from homo for hl3 seed If ho can ponslbly obtain good corn that has been grown on soil and in the climate In which he expects to conduct his breeding operation. If he must send away for his seed, however, ho should solect it from that locality which nearest approaches his own, both as to soil and climate. A great deal of poor seed-corn results re-sults from a lack of care In the harvesting harvest-ing and storing. Tt should be allowed to mature thoroughly -before being picked, as immature corn docs not obtain ob-tain all the plant-food intended for it, consequently its vitality l,s weakened. Immature corn is hard to keep, as it Is liable to sprout and unless thcro Is good circulation of air It will become heated and moldy. Seed-corn should always be selected from the field and never from the load at the crib. Selecting seed at tho time of general harvest Is objectionable, because many times tho work Is done late In the season sea-son and in a hurry, and the care of seed-corn is apt to be neglected. The stalks from which seed-ears are selected should be of medium size, strong at the base, tapering gradually to tho tassel, and should havo large leaf-development as the leaf is the laboratory of the plant. The stalk should also stand erect and bo free from smut or insect attack. Xover select from stalks with suckers. suck-ers. Ears, to be of good size and quality, qual-ity, should have straight rows of regularly-sized kernels and which moro nearly represent the typo desired. These cars should be at a convenient f STANCH J C; SMR.CH A Corn grains In cross section showing show-ing proportions of starch, gluten, etc. height of h to 5 feet on the stalks, and should be attached to tho stalk by a shank medium in length and strength. The ear when matured should break over and hang from the tip downward. Ears in an upright position are objectionable objec-tionable because they are more or less subjected to the rains and hot sun, which injure the vitality. Some experiments show that seed from cars high on the stalk and In an upright position, yield almost 10 bushels bush-els less, per acre, than seed from ears hanging in the natural position. Ears growing high on the stalk and In an upright position, when planted, give stalks, a very high per cent, of which bear ears in a similar manner. Tho first month after it ha3 been picked is the most critical time in th WO handling of seed-corn. ' As it-contains Iflfl a largo amount of moisture at that 1 time, it must be stored In a dry, well ventilated place, and in such a way BH that each ear will bo exposed to a fre BH c rculatlon of air. Seed-corn should MM always be stored In the ear, but never B9 in barrels, boxes, or sacks, or above BEM large quantities of grain. flui There aro many ways of preserving WM seed-corn, as by striking the butts on HH sharp nails driven through a board, ty- B lng cars together in pairs and hanging them over a wire, or, by laying them. H on racks. Any method that will pro- vide a free circulation of air is desir H Profcseor P. G. Holden, who has O I done as much in teaching farmers of H the great corn belt how to increase jH their corn yield, as any other man in H the country. The corn should be thoroughly dried Hi and protected throughout-the winter HI from all sudden or extreme changes HI of temperature or humidity. It must B never be allowed to freeze before it is thoroughly dry, as Its fertilltv will ba H affected. H Probably the best place to storo seed-corn Is In the attic. Experiments (conducted by Professor Holden. at the W Iowa station, show that where seed was stored In more than forty different W ways, the attic proved to be the best H place. R The next best place is In a cellar H where the furnace is placed. Tho B average cellar is too damp and tho W corn never dries out thoroughly. H Seed-corn hung up on wires or B strings under an open shed or in a dry H barn, keeps fairly well, but even there H experience shows that much seed-corn Js either killed or weakened because H the seed gathered moisture during H warm, damp spells, and then wa3 in- H jured by cold weather which froze it later. Sometimes corn will sprout all right H In the spring, but that is no sign that B it has a vitality to grow well. Much Hi of It may have-been so weakened that R if tho season is cold, or tho seed is ' H planted too deep, it will only give P weak stalks, and never attain its m, proper growth or vigor. E In selecting seed-corn it is Import- m ant that more is Involved than merely E! looking at the ears. The kernels must K. be studied. By shelling off a portion Hi of the ear from tip to butt a perfect flvj ear will show the kernels close to- H2 gether where they are joined to tho V cob, of uniform size and shape, com- Bh pact and attractive in appearance. B |