Corn Gi'otvers' Association. 157 



first light frosts or whenever the corn is thoroughly mature. The 

 grower can pass slowly along row after row, stripping down the 

 husks and examining each ear that from outside appearances 

 looks promising. A considerable number of very good fully ma- 

 tured ears should be selected in this way and from these the best 

 twenty-five can be selected for the seed improvement work. 



If the corn has been cut from which selections are to be 

 made, it should be husked before any severely cold weather has 

 occurred, as no opportunity should be allowed for the seed to 

 freeze before it is thoroughly dried. After husking, the twenty- 

 five best ears can be selected as before, the early maturing ears 

 being judged by the solidity of the kernels on the cob. 



By whichever method the twenty-five ears are selected, when 

 once they are selected, which should have been done before any 

 freezes have occurred, they should be hung up in a warm, dry 

 room, preferably in a room where a fire is maintained for a por- 

 tion of the day at least. It is important that the ears dry quickly, 

 as this improves the germinability and vigor of the ensuing crop. 



Preserve these twenty-five select ears together. When ready 

 to plant, first shell off the imperfect kernels at tip and butt of each 

 ear and then shell the twenty-five ears together, and plant them 

 in a seed patch at some distance from any other crop of corn of 

 any kind. This insures that individuals from good ears will be 

 pollinated and fertilized by individuals from similarly good ears, 

 which is one of the most important factors in the improvement of 

 any crop. 



When this seed patch matures it may be husked standing, or 

 cut and husked from the shock as the farmer desires. Whatever 

 method is used the seed should be ready for selection before any 

 severe freezes have had opportunity to affect its vitality. From 

 the corn produced on this patch select again the twenty-five best 

 ears to use the ensuing year in planting a seed patch and select a 

 sufficient number of the best ears remaining to plant the general 

 crop. 



All of these ears saved for seed should then be hung up in a 

 heated room where they will dry quickly. Quick drying is such 

 an important thing ordinarily that this should not be neglected. 



The above method it will be observed has in it but one pro- 

 cess not now followed quite generally by corn growers; this is 

 simply the planting of an isolated seed patch from the best ears 

 so that plants from good ears will be fertilized by plants from good 

 ears. This seed patch need not be very large, only from one- 



