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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



planted. Some of these brothers of course bore something, but a large per 

 cent of the plants that came from that ear would be about like four of those 

 in this cut— worse than nothing. On the other hand the stalks bearing the 

 good ear would have hunrreds of brothers throughout the field, which came 

 from the same good ear it did, bearing— not nubbins or nothing at all as 

 these are doing— but strong, vigorous stalks producing, in turn, a large per- 

 centage of good vigorous ears. 



This question resolves itself into one of getting rid of these unprofitable 

 ears and of planting only vigorous ear-producing ones. On an average one 

 stalk in every seven produces nothing because of barrenness. One acre in 

 every seven planted to corn is worse than wasted because of these unproduc- 

 tive stalks. Yet a little time and care in selecting our seed corn— not a dol- 



