106 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 
After the description of the ears has been recorded, they 
are shelled separately and the kernels of each placed in small 
paper sacks. These sacks are tagged from one to one hundred 
and are then placed in a grain sack and hung away from the 
mice until time to plant in the spring. The best time and 
place for this work is in the winter before the kitchen fire. 
In order to prevent foreign pollenization the breeding plot 
should be situated in a large field of the same variety. A 
very convenient size of breeding plot is forty rods long and 
one hundred rows wide (about twenty rods). Assuming that 
the breeding plot is to be located in a forty-acre field, the 
first thing is to stake off six or seven acres that contain no 
ponds, and where the soil is of uniform richness. If the 
ground of the whole field is prepared as corn ground should 
be prepared, it is not necessary to give the breeding plot any 
extra preparation. Planting should be done in the regular 
way until the breeding plot is reached. 
Before starting on the first row of the breeding plot, the 
corn is all removed from the planter boxes and heavy paper 
cones are inserted, if an edge drop planter is used. This is 
to keep the corn from shifting to the center of the box. 
The corn in sacks No. 1 and No. 2 is placed in each planter 
box. If planted three grains to the hill, it will easily plant 
the 40 rods, unless the ears were exceptionally small. 
A stake should be driven at the end of the plot. As 
soon as the driver is even with this stake, the regular field 
corn is placed in the planter box. This corn is planted to 
the end of the field and back to the stake. When opposite 
the stake on the return, the driver stops and removes all 
the field corn in the planter boxes, empties into them the 
contents from sacks No. 3 and No. 4, and plants to the place 
of starting. 
Four rows from ears Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, have 
now been planted. The corn from ears Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 8 
