194 agriculture; of maine. 



types in regard to yield, but the quality of the corn is far supe- 

 rior in the type possessing a large number of rows and deep 

 kernels. Along this same line of thought, observation teaches 

 that a great many farmers must be paying a high price for the 

 fodder from sweet corn when they plant seed so thickly and do 

 not give each plant an opportunity to fully develop. Corn at 

 2 1-4 and 2 1-2 cents a pound makes a good proposition and 

 the farmer should strive for cut corn and not for fodder. He 

 can grow roughage in far greater quantities in other types of 

 corn and at less expense. Often the production of sweet corn 

 has been greater wdiere the farmer uses a little fertilizer in con- 

 nection with barn dressing than on barn dressing alone. Those 

 farmers who are getting the highest yield of cut corn per acre, 

 are using 400 to 500 pounds of a good, high grade fertilizer 

 with 12 to 16 loads of dressing. In filling out, the kernels of 

 the sweet corn take up phosphoric acid and potash and this 

 increased weight in corn is often obtained during the last few 

 days of the season. Here is an experience that might well be 

 worth considering in our production of seed. H we find in our 

 clearing house of experiences that the successful corn growers 

 do use a little fertilizer and less barn dressing we can put this 

 down as a valuable rule to follow. It certainly has reasonable 

 arguments in its favor. It may be a good plan for members 

 of the Seed Improvement Association to consider the possibility 

 of becoming seed growers for a canning factory in this State. 

 Find out what you can do. 



Grains. In selecting grains our only method of improvement 

 has been through the use of the fanning mill. Experiments 

 carried on in Canada during nine years, in which light and also 

 heavy, plump seed of the different grains were used, taught con- 

 clusively the advisability of sowing only the heaviest seeds of 

 grain. In every instance the heaviest kernels gave the highest 

 yield, the stiffest straw, and hence, the most valuable crops. Mem- 

 bers of the Seed Improvement Association who are growing 

 grain in any quantity cannot afiford to get along without the use 

 of some method of grading grain for seed. This is the easiest 

 thing that we can do to improve our crop. This is a common 

 experience among farmers, and hence, no farmer can afford to 

 follow the practice of sowing light grain. I do not believe that it 

 is a practical proposition for us to expect that members of this 



