Missouri Corn Growers'' Association. 



335 



control of the farmer may be grouped under 

 three main heads: First, those pertaining to 

 the seed; second, those pertaining to the soil, 

 and third, those pertaining to the care or 

 protection given the crop in the way of seed, 

 preparation and cultivation. The two im- 

 portant methods of increasing the yield of 

 the corn crop, then, must be through the im- 

 provement of the plant and through the im- 

 provement of the soil in cultural methods. 



Good Seed. — It need hardly be said to 

 the members of this Missouri Corn Growers' 

 Association that one of the first requisites of 

 a good crop is good seed. In spite of all that 

 has been said and written regarding the im- 

 portance of good seed, however, there are still 

 a great many people who pay little attention 

 to the matter of selection and care of seed 

 corn. It has been demonstrated many times 

 that seed corn gathered in the fall and stored 

 in a dry and well ventilated place is stronger 

 in vitality and usually yields better than seed 

 which has been stored in the crib over winter. 

 This decrease in yield from poor seed is not 

 alone due to poor germination, but in some 



ps.'sn 



-f-^^^^ 





••V"^ 



Grand champion single 

 ear, eleventh annual Mis- 

 souri State Corn Show. 

 Shown by C. N. Daly, 

 Palmyra. Winner of asso- 



way the seed is perhaps weakened and its ciation single ear trophy. 

 vitality lessened so that lower yields usually 

 result than from seed which has received good care. 



Not only should seed be good in the sense of being able to 

 make a vigorous growth, but it should be of a variety well suited 

 for the environmental conditions under which it is to be planted. 

 The importance of the variety is well illustrated in the following 

 data from the Missouri Experiment Station. Some twenty-five 

 varieties of corn have been tested under similar conditions for a 

 number of years. As an example, the average yield of the two 

 best and the two poorest varieties for years are as follows: 



