234 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



For our conditions, about half nitrate of soda and half tankage 

 would serve the purpose. This would also make the fertilizer 

 run somewhat better, if applied by a machine. 



Should a good clover stubble be turned under for corn it 

 would be equivalent to the use of a i 1-2% application of nitro- 

 gen. A rotation including clover is a desirable one for corn. 

 The corn should be planted about two inches deep. If planted 

 too deep, a long continued rainy season would probably cause 

 the corn to rot badly. If too shallow, a dry season may cause 

 the corn to perish at germination time. 



QUALITY OF SEED. 



To secure improved cjuality of seed, field selection and ear 

 selection should be resorted to. The simplest method of im- 

 proving a variety of corn is that of going into the field, before 

 the corn is harvested, and selecting the best ears for seed. The 

 ears are marked and at harvest time are gathered and stored. 

 The success of this method depends wholly upon the ability of 

 the grower to recognize the best corn. The following factors 

 should be considered in the seed selection : 



First, the type of stalk. A medium height, sturdy appear- 

 ance, should be chosen. The ears should be at a convenient 

 distance from the ground, for ease in gathering, particularly 

 when you expect to harvest corn by machinery, for ensilage 

 purposes. The ear should be of good shape, having a medium 

 sized, short shank. The stalk selected should be from a hill 

 'having a full stand of stalks and surrounded by other full 

 sized hills, producing good ears. Ears indicating early maturity 

 should be selected, on account of our short seasons. These 

 ears are usually of medium size, as very large ears generally 

 take a longer period of growth before maturity, and are not al- 

 ways safe in planting a crop that one expects to mature year 

 after year. After husking the ears a further selection should 

 be made, throwing out those that are not of a desirable type. 

 The ears should be of such a type, with straight rows, even 

 sized grains, good dep^th, somewhat wedge shaped, on a cob of 

 medium size, 'that is cylindrical, and gradually taipers to the tip, 

 which should be well filled out. The base of the ear should' be 

 well filled over with corn, the number of the rows at the base 

 the same as the number carried out throughout the balance of 



