70 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



turn the ear a little and remove another kernel a little 

 higher up, going around the ear in a spiral so that six 

 kernels are removed by the time the ear is turned around 

 and the last kernel is taken out near the tip of the ear. 

 Place the six kernels in square No. 1 of the germinating 

 box. Handle ear No. 2 in the same way, placing the 

 kernels from this ear in square No. 2 of the germinator. 

 After six kernels have been removed from each ear and 

 placed in the small square of the germinator corresponding 

 to the number of the ear, fill up the box with dirt or 

 sand. Then with a sprinkling can wet the soil until it is 

 reasonably moist. Care should be exercised in selecting a 

 place to set the tester, as a more accurate test can be se- 

 cured if it is placed under conditions as near like those 

 found in the field as possible. If the tester is placed behind 

 the stove or in the furnace room, many kernels will grow 

 that would not grow if planted in the field. Since the 

 object of the test is to discard those that would not grow 

 in the field, it is desirable to have the tests made under 

 conditions similar to those found in the field. The results 

 of the tests should be read when the plants are about 2 

 inches high. The samples that do not produce six strong, 

 vigorous plants should be noted, and the ears from which 

 they were taken should be discarded. In this way, only 

 those ears will be used for seed that have a strong vitality. 

 A tester the size of the one given above will test at one time 

 144 ears or enough to plant 10 or 11 acres. There are 

 many kinds of commercial testers on the market, many of 

 which are very reliable, while some do not meet the claims 

 that are advanced for them. A home-made tester will 

 do the work just as well as any of the commercial forms, 

 and has the advantage of being much cheaper. This test 

 may be made in late winter or early spring and will require 



