CORN CULTURE 41 



it from becoming damp and molding, or getting too dry 

 as from artificial heat. It should be placed in sacks hold- 

 ing not more than half a bushel each, and hung in a pro- 

 tected place, such as an attic. The sacks should be labeled 

 to show the grade that each contains. 



Testing the planter. Before planting time, the 

 planter should be carefully tested for each grade of seed, 

 and the right size of plates determined. This is done by 

 placing a quantity of each grade of seed in the planter 

 boxes in succession, throwing the drop by hand, and keep- 

 ing accurate count of the number of kernels dropped each 

 time for at least a hundred hills. 



In well graded seed it should be possible to secure a 

 drop of three kernels more than seventy-five per cent, of the 

 time. Whether whatever variation there is should be chiefly 

 in the direction of two, or of four, kernels will depend on 

 the richness of the soil. If the seed has been carefully 

 tested, the effort should be to plant three kernels to the 

 hill in just as many cases as possible. 



TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION 



Let each member of the class bring to school a number 

 of e'ars of corn suitable for seed so that the class will 

 together have a lot of at least fifty ears. 



1. Shell off the butts and tips, comparing the size of 

 the kernels. Will the shape of the kernel have anything to 

 do with the number the planter will drop to the hill? 



2. Shell all the ears, one at a time, dividing the kernels 

 into three lots according to size. How many ears go into 

 each grade? Are there any ears with kernels too large or 

 too small for either grade? 



3. Now let each pupil take a pint of shelled corn from 

 each of the three grades and hand pick it. How many 

 kernels are very small, irregular, or chaffy? How many 

 broken? How many moldy or black at the tip? How 

 many have you rejected from each lot? Count the good 



