CORN 105 



kernel of seed corn has in it a live, though very small corn 

 plant. This plant is tender and easily injured unless it is 

 kept under favorable conditions. Seed corn that is not 

 thoroughly dry before cold weather comes on will freeze 

 and thus injure the little plant so that it will not germinate. 

 By picking the ears for seed in the field, the early maturing 

 kind can be selected. Seed can thus be selected from 

 perfect plants only. Since good seed means a good crop 

 of corn, the time spent in selecting the seed corn in the 

 field is profitably employed. 



FIG. 58. Disking for corn. The disk harrow is here used to pulverize the soil immediately 



after plowing. 



Testing Seed Corn. We have learned in Chapter 15 how 

 to test seeds for germination. It takes about fifteen ears 

 of seed corn to plant an acre, and with a yield of sixty 

 bushels to the acre, each ear of seed corn represents about 

 four bushels of crop. Each ear should therefore be tested. 

 A germination box for testing 100 ears can be made from 

 inch boards, the box being two feet square and five inches 

 deep, inside measurements. About three inches of saw- 

 dust, that has first been soaked in scalding water to kill 



