THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 267 



ual plants differ in vigor, productiveness, etc., and that to secure in- 

 creased yield, seed must be selected from those plants which produce the 

 heaviest. In selecting seed, the best available field of the variety desired 

 should be gone over before the husking, and the ears of those individuals 

 which are the most productive and best meet the grower's ideal variety 

 should be husked for seed. 



Before starting to select the seed, the grower should clearly deter- 

 mine with character of plant he desires, whether the stalk should be 

 tall, or short and stocky, whether the ears should be long and slender or 

 short or large in diameter, whether one ear or two ears per stalk is de- 

 sired. In general ah ear of medium length, 10 to 12 inches, and of large 

 diameter, with comparatively small cob and long, deep kernels, is de- 

 sired. It is also important that the ears selected be well filled both at 

 top and butt. 



Having the ideal well in mind, the grower should go over the best 

 field very carefully and gather sufficient seed for the next year's plant- 

 ing, taking ears only of the kind desired and from the most productive 

 and vigorous plants. Some growers who in a very hasty way follow the 

 above methor of seed selection, have a seed corn box attached to the 

 wagon while husking, and when a good plant is found, the ears are 

 thrown into the seed box and retained for seed. This method is not ':o be 

 commended, as in the haste of husking, sufficient attention cannot be 

 given to the comparison of characters which is necessary to make a 

 satisfactory selection. 



To obtain the best results, the field from which the selection for seed 

 is to be made should be gone over carefully just before the silks begin 

 to appear, and all small, imperfect and non-productive stalks cut out, in 

 order to insure that all ears formed will be fertilized from pollen from 

 productive stalks. If this practice is found too burdensome, it can of 

 course be omitted, but is certainly of importance if the best results are 

 desired. 



A second factor in the production of seed corn which should prob- 

 ably not to be disregarded is that of obtaining seed which in all cases has 

 been cross-pollinated. Results obtained by various experiment stations 

 and the department of agriculture show that cross-fertilization is very 

 necessary in corn in order to retain the vigor. If stalks are inbred with 

 their own pollen for about three generations, they become almost sterile, 

 and in a single generation very marked differences in production can 

 be observed. It is a very easy matter to insure that seed corn has been 

 cross-pollinated by going through the field just before the silks begin to 

 appear and cutting the tassels off the stalks on every other row. The 

 seed corn can then be selected from the detasseled rows, on which it .'s 

 certain that every ear has from necessity been cross-pollinated. Detas- 

 seling, while simple of application, requires considerable time, and, as 

 in the case of cutting out small and barren stalks, can be omitted from 

 the method of selection adopted if found to be too burdensome. 



As to the preservation of seed corn, methods differ. An ordinary and 

 inexpensive way is to leave a few husks on each ear and then tie two ears 



