FARM HANDICRAFT FOR SCHOOLS. 



17 



the kernels will not push out of place. If a small irregular-shaped piece of wood or 

 some other substance is used as a core in rolling, a more uniform germination may- 

 be secured. When the rolling of the cloth has been finished, tie a string rather 

 loosely about the middle of the roll, or, better still, use a rubber band, and number 

 this roll No. 1. Then proceed with roll No. 2 in the same way. As many rolls may 

 be used as are necessary to contain the corn which one has to test. From 20 to 50 

 ears may be tested in each roll, depending upon the length. 



After the rolls have been filled they should be placed in a bucket of water, where 

 they may remain for from 2 to 18 hours, depending upon the preference of the operator. 

 At the end of this time pour off the water and turn the bucket upside down over the 

 rolls — or a common dry-goods box may be 

 used for this purpose. A couple of small 

 pieces of wood should preferably be laid under 

 the rolls, and one edge of the pail should be 

 lifted from £ to 1 inch in order to give suf- 

 ficient ventilation. Some have left the pail 

 in an upright position, placing a few sticks or 

 corncobs in the bottom of the pail to insure 

 proper drainage, and then packing a moist, 

 coarse cloth over the rolls to prevent exces- 

 sive drying. At the end of five days the 

 kernels should be ready to read. 



Depending upon the arrangement of the 

 ears, select, first, either roll No. 1 or the last 

 roll filled. This cloth will be unrolled in 

 front of the ears which are represented. Ex- 

 amine all the kernels carefully. In all cases 

 in which all six kernels are not strong in 

 germination the ear should be thrown away. 



Note to Teacher. — One of the very best 

 lines of agricultural work for schools is the 

 testing of seed corn. It is a means of get- 

 ting not only the pupils, but also the parents 

 interested in agriculture. Often the latter is 

 a very important consideration in the success 

 of the work. It pays to test seed corn, for it 

 is often the means of preventing a poor stand 

 or the replanting of a crop. 



As correlations with the agricul- 

 tural work and the manual-training 

 exercise, have the pupils compute the 

 value of the lumber in a box, the value of the time to make it, the 

 cost in time of testing, say, 100 ears of corn, and use the figures 

 obtained in formulating problems to determine whether or not the 

 testing of seed corn is an expensive practice. 



EXERCISE V. SEED-CORN DRYING RACK. 



Seed corn should be stored in a cool, dry place, and the ears should 



be kept apart, in order that air can circulate freely about them. A 



very convenient and easily constructed rack is shown in figure 25. 



To make this rack, rip a piece of 2 by 4 inch in strips 2 by 2 inches 



80746°— Bull. 527—17 3 



Fig. 25. — Seed-corn drying rack. 



