34 CORN 



Select the well-formed ears after the husks have turned 

 yellow. It is well to follow definite rows in securing seed 

 corn, otherwise large numbers of good ears are missed. 

 If the corn plants have been studied at a time when the 

 corn is in the milk, the desirable stalks marked, and the 

 ears selected from these marked stalks after ripening, a 

 higher grade of seed corn can be secured than by general 

 selection. After the corn is husked, many ears will be 

 found imperfect and should be discarded. Seed corn 

 should be put into the proper place for curing on the same 

 day it is taken from the field. 



When taken from the stalk, corn usually contains from 

 20 to 30 per cent of moisture, which, unless reduced to 10 

 or 12 per cent, is likely to injure the quality of the seed. 



If the corn is cured by hanging under a porch or under the 

 roof of a corncrib, it should be stored away in a dry room, 

 where it will not absorb moisture from the outside atmos- 

 phere before hard freezing weather sets in. Germination 

 tests have shown that where corn was kept in a dry room 

 or attic or was fire-dried it gave a germination test of 98 

 to 100 per cent, but where left shocked in the field or on the 

 standing stalk throughout the winter, it completely failed 

 to germinate. 



Corn should never be placed against the south side of a 

 building in the strong sunlight, as the rays of the sun will 

 soon injure the vitality of the seed on the side of the ear 

 turned toward the sun. 



During exceptional years when the corn matures well 

 in the fall before cold weather sets in, it will withstand 

 freezing and retain its vitality on the stalks or in open 

 cribs fairly well, but in most years the vitality of the corn 

 will be materially reduced and the germination will be 



