214 Missouri Agricultu7'al Re'port. 



cates that the shank is too large, which indicates a large cob, and 

 also makes the ear hard to break off in husking and thus retards 

 the rapidity of that process. Again, when it points upward the 

 husks will often open up enough to let the rain into the ear and 

 that will, no doubt, injure the vitality of the ear. 



I would start with as good seed as could be secured as that will 

 hasten the results that much. Any corn by selection and breeding 

 can be made a good corn, but the better it is to start with the 

 sooner will big results come. There are many corn growers in 

 the State that have most excellent corn, and good seed can in most 

 all cases be obtained from them. 



Now, I would especially test every year and use no ear that 

 had not shown in the test 100 per cent germination. Your work 

 would be much of a guess after all if you used some ears that were 

 weak in vigor or vitality, and much of the value of your work 

 might thus be lost. 



Then after the ground is well warmed up the planting will be 

 the next thing in order. Many breeders prefer to drill, but I 

 rather like to place it in hills. There are the good and bad features 

 of both ways, but I think I prefer to hill as it will let me know 

 that I get exactly the same number of grains in each hill and the 

 same number of grains in each row. I think best to mark off the 

 ground and drop the seed by hand, putting the same number of 

 grains in every hill, then it may be covered with a hoe. So far, 

 you see we have no guess work. 



When the planting is ready to begin, I have my ears ready 

 and plant one row from each ear, or as some prefer to plant at 

 least two rows from each ear, as that will make us doubly sure 

 as to the fact of no accident, for if results from the two rows 

 somewhat remotely planted are similar, we feel that it is no guess 

 work again. 



Shell enough corn off the ear to plant the row, leaving the 

 butt and tip and some rows entirely on the ear. Now take a small 

 piece of card board and mark the number of the row on it and 

 with a nail put into the butt of the ear fasten the cardboard to it, 

 and that will keep the ear so that it may be found at any time 

 for reference and comparison. Treat all the ears the same way 

 and then lay them away in a box where mice and rats cannot get 

 to it, and it will be a source of pleasure as well as surprise in 

 many cases to see the ears that have made a good record or a bad 

 one, as the case may be. We find in many instances that the ears 

 that we thought our very best have proven to be perhaps our very 



