12 



THE SEED-CORN SITUATION. 



reduce all rows to exactly the same numlx^r of stalks. The results 

 show practicall}^ a 5-busheI increase per acre due to good seed preser- 

 vation. Like many farmers the owner of the farm was not fully 

 satisfied with small i)lat work. He 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 one 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, Avhich constituted a weighing. The 

 result is shown in Table III. 



Table III. — Comparison of Ihr yield of seed corn stored in a dnj house with 



t/iat in a ciih. 



1,2,3,4 



5,6,7,8 



9, 10, n, 12.. 

 13, 14, 15, 16. 

 17,18,19,20. 

 21,22,23,24. 

 25,26,27,28. 

 29,30,31,32. 

 33,34,35,36. 

 37, 38, 39, 40. 

 41,42,43,44. 

 45,46,47,48. 

 49,50,51,52. 

 53, 54, 55, 56. 

 57, 58, 59, 60. 

 61,62,63,64. 



Total. 



Corn-row number. 



Ears produced — 



From seed 



kept in 

 dry house. 



Pounds. 

 2,270 



2,240 



'i'ioo' 



2,656' 

 '2,' 625' 



1,936' 

 'i,'826' 



'i,'826' 



From seed 



kept in 



crib. 



16,255 



Pounds. 



2, 115 

 '2^695 



2,045 

 'i'845 



1,765 

 'i'736 



1,855 



"h'sih 



15,265 



These results are the same as in the tests where the rows 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 imjoortance is to obtain 

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

 productiveness of the stalks of more importance than tlie 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 

 from which a good yield can not be obtained. The stand of stalks 

 bears the same relation (o the grain yield as the number of trees in an 

 rcir. nr.i 



