1064 Rural School Leaflet. 



Now with the pocket knife remove six kernels from each ear. Take 

 one kernel each, from near the tip, middle, and butt on one side of the 

 ear, then turn the ear over and take three more kernels in a like manner . 

 from the opposite side of the ear. These should be carefully laid in 

 the square in the box corresponding to the number of the ear. Thus 

 six kernels from ear No. i will go into square No. i and six kernels from 

 ear No. 2 into square No. 2, and so on. It is best to place the kernels 

 pointing one way and with the germ side up. 



After all the squares in the box are filled with the kernels from as 

 many correspondingly numbered ears, a piece of thin cloth should be 

 placed over them, being very careful not to disarrange or change the 

 position of the kernels in putting the cloth down. This should be 

 gently sprinkled with water and on top of this two thoroughly wet burlap 

 bags should be laid, care being taken to see that the burlap is pressed 

 down closely at the corners and along the sides in order to keep all the 

 kernels uniformly moist. The box should now be placed near a stove, 

 where it is warm and where the temperature never goes below freezing. 

 The kitchen is usually a good place. The bags on the top of the box 

 should be sprinkled if there is any danger of their drying out. 



Within from four to seven days, depending to a great extent on the 

 temperature at which the germinating box is kept, the kernels will 

 have germinated sufficiently to allow the selection of the ears to be made. 

 The bags and piece of cloth should be taken off with great care so that 

 the corn will not be disturbed. The kernels of each square should now 

 be examined in connection with the ear from which they were taken 

 and compared with the germinating kernels of the other ears. Great 

 differences v/ill at once be apparent. Some ears, will be represented 

 by kernels part of which as in ear No. 8, Fig. 22, show no germination. 

 All such ears should be discarded. Other ears will be represented by 

 kernels, which, as in No. 7, Fig. 22, germinate weakly. The roots will 

 be thin, yellow and sickly, and perhaps some kernels will be mouldy 

 and by their appearance as a whole show clearly lack of vigor. Those 

 ears, all, or part of whose kernels germinate weakly, should be dis- 

 carded. The kernels of still other ears will germinate vigorously with 

 strong, healthy sprouts as is the case in ears No. 3 and 4, Fig. 22. Ears 

 represented by such kernels should be used for planting. 



If it is found necessary to buy seed corn in bulk, ask your seed merchant 

 for a sample and test several hundred kernels of this in a germinating 

 box similar to the above. A germination test of such bulk samples 

 can also easily be made by putting a piece of blotting paper in the 

 bottom of a pan, thoroughly moistening this and putting the kernels on 

 it. Now cover with some more wet blotting paper or wet cloths and 



