156 THE SOILS AND CROPS OF THE FARM. 



due consideration to the stalk upon which it grew. It 

 is very much better to select the ears for seed in ad- 

 vance of the general husking, when it can be done 

 leisurely and carefully, and before there has been any 

 hard freezing. In the more northern latitude thor- 

 ough drying by hanging in an airy place or by arti- 

 ficial heat is almost necessary to obtain good seed. In 

 more southern latitudes storing in narrow cribs is all 

 that is essential. 



The vitality of the seed is injured by freezing be- 

 fore the kernels are thoroughly dry. It is the water 

 in the kernel that freezes and thereby destroys the 

 tissue. The vitality may be preserved in two ways : 

 1: by thoroughly drying; or, 2: by not subjecting to a 

 low temperature. The former is the only generally 

 feasible method. If the corn is first thoroughly dried 

 it does not matter how low a temperature it is sub- 

 jected to. 



It is hardly needful to state that the vitality of all 

 seed corn should be carefully tested before using it. 

 The vitality may be injured and the seed still grow. 

 The seed should not only sprout but it should sprout 

 strongly. The less the percentage of seeds sprouting 

 the less the vital power. For illustration: the Illinois 

 Agricultural Experimental Station found in the case 

 of sweet corn that where 95 per cent of the seed grew 

 in the green-house but 75 per cent of the seed which 

 grew in the green-house grew in the field, while where 

 52 per cent grew in the green-house test only 55 per 

 cent of those which grew in the green- house grew in 

 the field. 



C/limate. — The corn plant is the most variable, 

 according to the climate to which it is adapted, of 



