IOI2 Rural School Leaflet. 



Now that you have learned to judge corn and can tell a good ear 

 from a poor one, it seems to me, except for the weather and one other 

 thing, you are ready to plant. That one other thing is — you must 

 first find out whether the kernels from the ear you have selected will 

 grow or not. Suppose some of the ears you choose as good were 

 gathered last fall before they were well dried, and were hung up 

 where they froze. The kernels from such ears would probably have 

 been killed and they would never grow. Neither you, nor your father, 

 nor I want to plant seed that will not grow, do we? We ought, there- 

 fore, to test the seed before we plant it to see whether it will grow. 

 There is no reason why you cannot find out whether all the corn that 

 your father or your uncle or your grandfather will plant this spring 

 will grow. Speak to them about it and tell them that you can make 

 their corn crop greater, and see whether they will let you try. Tell 

 them to give you six kernels from every ear they expect to plant. 

 Then, with any ordinary box, some sawdust, muslin, a lead pencil 

 and two burlap bags, you can test seed corn. Your teacher knows 

 how, — ask her about it. 



Does it seem important to you to test seed corn? To show you 

 that it is important I want to tell you that last year the New York 

 State College of Agriculure sent out 20,000 circulars to farmers urging 

 them to test their corn before planting it. Boys and girls can add 

 thousands of dollars to the value of the corn crop in New York State 

 this next year if each will do his part. That is why we are saying 

 so much this month about it, and why we are going to ask you again 

 next month to do it, so that you will not forget. 



I should like to hear from your Farm Boys' and Girls' Club 

 at least once a month. Tell me what you have been doing, and what 

 you intend to do, and what you would like to do. Let us become 

 acquainted as fast as we can. Why here it is the middle of February! 

 That reminds me that it is pretty near time to get ready for our 

 gardens. Tell me in your letters whether you have ever had a gar- 

 den of your own. All Boys' and Girls' Club members are going to 

 have gardens this year and grow things themselves. 



What would your club think of the idea of going off all together 

 on some Friday afternoon or Saturday morning for a tramp right 

 through the snow? It is fine to go over the fields and across the 

 fences into the wind swept pastures, and then into the wood. Ask your 

 teacher to go along with you and some woodsman, perhaps, who can 

 show you the different kinds of trees and point out the difference 



