CHAPTER XXVI 



SELECTING, JUDGING, AND STORING SEED CORN 



THE lesson on selecting seed corn should be given 

 after the corn has become fully mature and before there 

 are any very hard frosts. 



What are some of the characteristics that should be 

 considered in choosing good seed corn ? One of the most 

 important is to choose corn that matures early enough to 

 escape the first heavy frosts. 



A field study should be made with the class if this is 

 possible. Most rural districts have cornfields near the 

 schoolhouse. Almost any farmer will grant permission to 

 take the class into the field for study. If this cannot be 

 done then the pupils may make all the observations at 

 home. 



First, spend a few minutes in observing the general 

 character of the corn plant. Note the jointed stem, the 

 arrangement of the leaves, how the leaves are attached, the 

 number of leaves, their venation, and the prop roots. 

 Dig around one plant and note the direction of growth and 

 extent of the roots. Are all the stalks equally well formed ? 

 Are they all standing erect? 



What are desirable qualities to look for in choosing a 



stalk you would like to have reproduced next year? It 



should be a stout, upright stalk growing in a. hill with at 



least two others, if the hills are forty or more inches apart; 



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