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SELECTION 



101 



formed, and to a large degree, the earliest maturing ears, will be found 

 at a medium height. The shank should be of medium size and of suf- 

 ficient length that the ear may hang with tip down. It is also well to 

 note whether the stalks about it are strong, or are barren and dwarfed. 

 If the ears seems to be very ripe, look out, the stalk may be diseased. 

 As a general rule, the farmer should gather twice as much seed as will 

 be required to plant his fields the year following. 



2 1 



GOOD AND BAD STALKS 

 No. 1 is an illustration of a good 

 stalk, well balanced, the ear 

 about four feet from the 

 ground, well set and drooped 

 sufficiently to shed the rain. 

 No. 2 shows a rather weak 

 stalk with long joints and the 

 ear set too high and much too 

 near the top. 



BAD METHOD OF STORING SEED CORN 



The ears are too close together for good circu- 

 lation of air, consequently there is danger of 

 moulding and that it will not be sufficiently 

 dried out to prevent freezing. It is much 

 easier to tie with a string, as shown on page 

 104. If the string method of tying is fol- 

 lowed, a good circulation of air is afforded 

 and the ears dry out properly. What must 

 be avoided is freezing of the corn before it 

 is dried out. The above is a common 

 method, but often results in mouldiness, es- 

 pecially if stored in (liis way diiring a damp 

 or wet fall. 



SHOWING EFFECT OF PLANT SELECTION. 



A'Vith this thought in view, the Ohio Station conducted a test in 

 1906 in which ears selected from plants growing in the field under 

 normal conditions of stand, and as nearly normal in otlier environment 

 as it was possible to judge, were compared with other ears of the same 

 variety and selected from the same field, but selected from the ^^-agon, 

 no attention being given to the stand in the latter instance. Tlie ears 

 selected from the wagon were superioi- in size and in gerK'ral a])|iear- 

 ance, as might be expected. 



Eight tenth-acre plots were planted from the twn selections, four 



