JUDGING CORN 119 



as that grown on the plat. It is better to have the seed corn 

 plat near the middle of the main field than to have it near a 

 neighbor's corn of a different variety or of inferior quality. 

 A seed corn plat planted in this way may be cultivated with 

 the rest of the field, so that very little extra work is entailed. 

 The best seed is planted on this plat and extra care is 

 taken while it is growing that all weak and barren stalks 

 are removed or detasselod, so that all ears produced on it 

 will be fertilized from strong stalks that bear ears of corn. 

 When the time comes to select seed, all the best corn produced 

 in the seed plat is selected. The following spring the twent}^ 

 best ears are selected and planted in another seed corn plat 

 and the balance is used for the seed of the main crop. On a 

 small plat of this kind, one can afford to use more care in 

 selecting seed and in weeding out or detasseUng the weak 

 stalks than is practical on the large fields. 



.JUDGING CORN' 



158. Object of Judging. The judging of corn is not 

 nearly so difficult as it at first seems. When one first looks 

 at an exhibit of corn containing a large number of samples, 

 it appears to be almost an impossi])le task to pick out the 

 best lots. The chief object in the improvement of corn 

 is to get a variety that will yield the largest possible quantity 

 of food products to the acre. The work of the judge is 

 simply to pick out the sample that, in his judgement, will 

 produce the best crop of corn if planted the following season. 



159. The Use of the Score Card. To become familiar 

 with the important points in an car or other sample of corn 

 one should make a careful study of a score card. There are 

 many different score cards in use. Nearly every state 

 agricultural college has a score card for corn, each differing 

 from those used by the other colleges. The difference is 

 due to the fact that some points seem to be of more value 

 in some sections of the country than in others. 



