6 THE SEED-COKN SITUATION. 



The planting of poor seed corn is an exceedingly costly and unneces- 

 sary yearly occurrence. 



Exceedingly costly ? Yes. Each acre of the hundred million acres 

 grown annually would j^rocTuce several bushels more if jjlanted with 

 early selected well-preserved seed. The loss from the planting of 

 neglected seed 'corn amounts to millions of dollars each year. 



Unnecessary? Absolutely. Tliis loss is easily prevented by (1) 

 the use of acclimated and adapted varieties, (2) earlier selection, and 

 (3) good care of seed corn. 



By the application of these three principles the Avriter has seen a 

 number of farmers double the j^rofits from their corn crops. 



USE or ACCLIMATED AND WELL-ADAPTED STRAINS. 



The advice to meet these poor seed-corn situations by preventing 

 them is given with the knowledge that thoy can under all conditions 

 be i^revented. It is the only sound advice that can be given as 

 apjolicable to all conditions. Farmers in localities that have no 

 seed corn because last year the season was too dry or too short can 

 prevent the recurrence of this condition by saving early each fall 

 a supply of seed corn sufficient for two or three years' planting. 

 Good seed corn well cared for will retain good gennination and high 

 productivity for three or four years. 



If there has been a failure of the corn crop in a locality for several 

 years in succession, it is good evidence that poorly adapted varieties 

 are being grown and that great loss is being sustained in not growing 

 crops from better adapted seed. Most farmers have observed the supe- 

 riority of well-adapted varieties. This is well demonstrated when 

 good home-grown seed is planted in comparison with seed imported 

 from a distance. In sections having no home-grown seed because 

 of the entire failure of crops, imported seed is planted and the 

 decreased jdeld is not noticed because there is no possibility of plant- 

 ing home-grown seed for comparison. 



Splendid opportunities for observing the a alue of home-grown seed 

 were brought out in two series of 5-year tests conducted by the Office 

 of Corn Investigations in cooperation with 28 State experiment 

 stations. Equivalent lots of seed were grown each year at all the 

 stations. The point of value from the five years' work is that a 

 variety stood high or low in rank according to its adaptation or 

 lack of adaptation to the locality in which the test was made. Vari- 

 eties producing best at, home often produced poorest when tested under 

 other environments, notwithstanding the same seed of all varieties 

 Avas used in all the tests. 



THE SEED-CORN SITUATION. 



A variety, a native of Sabina, Ohio, was taken 50 miles north and 

 grown for five years at Sunbuiy, Ohio. Equivalent lots of Sabina- 



ICir. 95] 



