104 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



Tester. It is apparent that any one who has any amount of testing to 

 do, can well afford to make a Geneva Tester or have one made, rather 

 than use sand. 



It is sometimes urged that one who has had sufficient practice can 

 select seed corn which will grow, simply by inspecting it, and that testing 

 ii unnecessary. 



There are many persons who can tell, with some accuracy, by simple 

 examination, w^hether or not corn will grow, but we do not believe that 

 inspection can be so accurate as testing. Moreover, the time used in 

 carefully inspecting each ear in a given lot of corn is usually as great 

 or greater than the time used in testing the same ears. The time re- 

 quired depends much upon the care with which the work is done. If 

 four kernels are taken from each ear of corn and each kernel examined 

 carefully and the germ inspected, it will require more time than it will 

 to test the kernels in the Geneva apparatus. The average time used at 

 the station for inspecting thirteen bushels of seed corn with reasonable 

 care, was 31 minutes per bushel. With two lots, when four kernels were 

 removed from each ear and carefully examined, the average time re- 

 quired was 44 minutes per bushel. The average time for testing these 

 same two lots in the Geneva Tester was 32 minutes per bushel. Even 

 when the time element is taken into consideration, the evidence is all 

 in favor of carefully tested seed for the corn grower, as opposed to that 

 selected mechanically. 



The following table shows the results which were actually attained 

 with 37 different lots of seed corn: 



Eighteen of these lots of corn came to the Experiment Station from 

 progressive farmers, and nineteen came from the most trustworthy corn 

 specialists to be found. In the table given, column i indicates simply 

 tlie number of the lot of corn tested. Column 2 gives the number of 

 ears in that particular lot, and column 3 indicates the per cent of the corn, 

 taken just as it came to the station, which germinated. This test was 

 pimply a composite one. Three kernels were taken from each ear, one 

 from the butt, one from the middle, and one from the tip. After three 

 kernels were thus taken from every ear in the entire lot, they were 

 mixed together, and 100 of them were selected at random. These 100 

 kernels were germinated and the resulting per cent was put into column 

 3. After this composite test was made, every ear in each lot was tested. 

 b\ taking four kernels from an ear and germinating them in sand. In 

 case any one of the four kernels did not grow, the ear from which it 

 came was discarded as unfit for seed. The number of ears thus discarded 

 is recorded in column 4. The remainder were reserved as being good 



