FOR BETTER CROPS 



so reduce the vigor and future producing- power of many of 

 the good ears, Nubbins are simply a mild form of barrenness. 



This subject of barren stalks is very closely related to tiiat of 

 "The Product of a Single Hill.'' (See IMate 9.) 



The illustration on page 50 shows the class of stalks wiiich pro- 

 duce the nubbins, or what is worse, nothing at all. The unpro- 

 ductive stalks in these two hills have hundreds of brothers 

 scattered here and there throughout the field wherever the 

 kernels from the ear that produced them were planted. Some 

 of these brothers of course bore something, but a large per cent 

 of the plants that came from the ear would be about like four of 

 those in this cut— worse than nothing. 



' On the other hand the stalks bearing the good ear would have 

 hundreds of brothers throughout the field, wliich came from the 

 same good ear as itself, bearing — not nubbins or nothing at all 

 as these others are doing— but strong, vigorous stalks producing 

 in turn, a large percentage of good vigorous ears. 



Important Things to be Remembered — Soak the sawdust 

 at least two hours— better if it is soaked overnight by putting it 

 in a gunny-sack and setting this in a tab of water. This water 

 should be turned off in the morning and replaced with hot or 

 warm water so that the sawdust^ when put into the box, will 

 be thoroughly warmed. The two inches of sawdust placed on 

 top of the corn should also be thoroughly warmed. When the 

 sack of sawdust is lifted out of the warm water it should be 



placed where the surplus water can drain out of it: better get 



up on the sack and tread it with the feet. This will remove all 

 the surplus water. 



Use a good quality of sheeting for the cloth that is ruled of! 

 in squares and also for the cloth covering the kernels. 



Do not use a cheap, porous grade of cloth, as the sprouts will 

 grow through it and greatly interfere with the work. 



Leave a I'-inch margin around the edges of the box to prevent 

 freezing and drying out. 



^lake the squares to receive the kernels, 2ix2i inches. 



Sexer use the box more than once without thoroughly scald- 

 ing both the sawdust and the cloths. 



To insure accurate reading, the stem sprouts should be at 

 least two inches long when examined. 



Throw out all ears which show weak germination as well as 

 ears whose kernels fail to grow. 



Do not guess that an ear of corn will grow and grow strong. 

 Test it. and find out before you have wasted upon it a whole year 

 of labor and the use of your land. 



•Test six kernels from each ear and discard the bad and the 

 weak ears. 



Ears 3. 5, 8, and 10 are strong-. 



