328 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



wet. Plowed land should be thoroughly disked and harrowed 

 before planting. 



Selecting-, storing, and testing the seed. The only satis- 

 factory method of selecting seed corn is the one that takes 

 into consideration the whole plant. It is necessary to select 

 seed corn from leafy stalks that are well developed, having 

 the ear located just a little below the middle of the stalk 

 and supported on a short shank which inclines the ear down- 

 ward. This selection can be made only from standing stalks 

 at ripening time. Desirable ear characteristics are described 

 on standard score-cards and will not be given here. 



In the great corn belt we are likely to get freezing weather 

 soon after corn has matured, and ears intended for seed 

 should fee protected from frost. Corn contains considerable 

 moisture, the germ is a living thing, and the vitality of the 

 corn? may be seriously injured if it is allowed to freeze. Corn 

 should be stored in a dry room, out of reach of mice and 

 rats, and where dampness or freezing will not occur. 



It is a wise plan to test seed corn for vitality, or ability 

 to grow, early in the spring before it is time to plant. One 

 poor ear of corn spoils about one-fifteenth of an acre of the 

 corn field. One method of testing seed corn is fully explained 

 in Farmers' Bulletin No. 409, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture. Write for this at Washington, D. C. Methods are 

 also given in the chapter on corn in this book. 



Planting 1 . Corn may be planted from the first to the mid- 

 dle of May, or even later. Use the best seed available. 



From one and one-half to three inches is the depth to plant 

 corn, depending on the character of the soil. 



