12 



THE SEED-COEN SITUATION. 



ducted by the Office of Corn Investigations were intensive and 

 accurate. Hand planting and thinning were practiced in order to 

 reduce all rows to exactly the same number of stalks. . The results 

 show practically a 5-bushel increase per acre due to good seed preser- 

 vation. T^ike many farmers the owner of the farm was not fully 

 satisfied with small plat work. Pie therefore made more extensive 

 tests. At corn-gathering time in November he selected 2 bushels of 

 Seed, placing 1 bushel in a crib and the other bushel in the seed-corn 

 dry house. In the spring with a 2-row planter he planted four rows 

 1,280 feet long and 3\ feet apart with the seed kept in the dry house; 

 then four rows with the seed kept in the crib. This he repeated 

 seven times, making eight tests in all in which four rows planted 

 with ong lot of seed were compared with the adjoining four rows 

 planted with the other lot of seed. At harvest time four rows 

 yielded a wagon load of ears, which constituted a, weighing. The 

 result is shown in Tabl(> III. 



Table III. — Comparison of the yield of seed cor /i stored in a dry house with that in a crib. 



1, 2, 3, 4. 

 5, (i, 7, s. 

 9, 10, 11, 

 13, 14, 15 

 17, 18, 19 

 21, 22, 23 

 25, 2fi, 27 

 29, 30, 31 

 33,34,35 

 37, 38. 39 

 41, 42, 43 

 45, 46, 47 

 49,50,51 

 53, 54, 55 

 57,58,59 

 61, 62, 63 



12.. 

 ,16. 

 ,20. 

 ,24. 



2S. 

 ,32. 

 ,36. 

 ,40. 



44. 



48. 



52. 

 ,56. 

 ,60. 

 ,64. 



Total. 



Corn-row nunilier. 



Ears proihuod — 



From seed 



kept in 

 dry iiouse. 



Pounds. 

 2,270 



2,240 



2,100 

 '2,'050' 



2,025 

 ' 1,930 



1,820 

 'i,'s20 



16,255 



From seed 



kept in 



crib. 



Pound.'i. 



2,115. 

 2,095 



2,045 



'i,'s45 



1,765 



' 1,730 



1, 855 

 'l"8i5 



15,265 



These results are the same as in the tests where the roAVs were 

 thinned to the same stand of stalks. The point of importance is that 

 the seed kept in the dry house did not germinate any better than the 

 seed kept in the crib, but produced 5 bushels more per acre. 



The prevailing idea that the thing of most importance is to obtain 

 a good stand of stalks must be discarded. Farmers must consider the 

 productiveness of the stalks of more importance than the number. 

 Full stands can be obtained by the heavy planting of weak seed. 

 Good yields can not be obtained in this way. The most expensive 

 seed to plant is that from which a stand of stalks can be obtained but 



[Cir. 05] 



