172 CAMPBELL'S SOIL CULTURE MANUAL 



and it can be used on the farm for feeding. But of course 

 its cost is much less per bushel where 60 to 100 bushels 

 are grown than where 20 to 33 pushels are grown. To 

 raise this limit means dollars to the farmer, and it is 

 therefore worth a great deal to him to make a study of 

 the problem. 



SEED CORN TESTING. 



It never pays to plant any kind of seed that is poor. 

 In one respect the farmers of the semi-arid region are 

 favored, because the climate is such as to preserve seed 

 better than in some other places; but in another respect 

 they are at a disadvantage, for the shortness of the season 

 may prevent them from gathering mature seed. The only 

 safe thing to do is to gather the corn for seed carefully 

 before the frost has got a chance to injure the kernels, 

 and put the corn in a place where it will dry out slowly 

 and surely and remain dry all winter. Selection of seed 

 corn from the field before the regular picking of corn is 

 undertaken can do no possible harm, and it may be the 

 means of saving an entire crop in after years. 



Then before planting, no matter how careful the far- 

 mer has been, it is to his advantage to make a thorough 

 test of the corn he intends to plant. This may be done 

 in a variety of ways that will suggest themselves to every 

 farmer. The testing should be done early enough so that 

 if the farmer finds that 10 or 20 per cent of his seed will 

 not grow, or even if 5 or 2 per cent produces weak stalks, 

 he can supply himself with seed in some way. 



INVESTIGATE AND KNOW. 



The facts we have given here in this chapter on corn 

 ought to suggest to every farmer in the semi-arid region, 

 especially every one who has accepted the old dictum 

 that corn cannot be grown here, that he should experi- 



