READING THE TEST 



)25 



corn be a little short this ear will be pushed back but a quarter length. 

 This means that you will save all such ears and give them another 

 test to eliminate the very weakest, and plant the best if necessary. 



Pass to ear No. 3. You are surprised to find an apparently sound 

 ear has three kernels which failed to germinate. The other three 

 are weak and growth has already ceased. You pronounce this a bad 

 ear and push it back three-fourths of its length in the row. Ear No. 

 4 shows six strong. Ear No. 5, shows six germinated, but they are 

 all weak and one died soon after the sprout came out. This is 

 bad and is pushed back. This ])rocess is continued, studying the out- 

 come of each ear carefully. II is an interesting study and requires 

 good judgment. 



AN EXTENSIVE TES'E 

 More unifdi-m temperature cati be obtained when the boxes are elevated. 



After the two hundred ears have been classified as to condition of 

 vitality, they should be piled up in their respective classes. The 1)ad 

 ears had better be fed to the stock at once to prevent any chance 

 of their becoming mixed with the good seed through carelessness or 

 the mistake of helpers. The weak ears should be rearranged on the 

 floor in another room, or any place out of the way, and another 

 test run for them. 



Mr. Burnett found that it cost $1.20 to test one hundred ears by the 

 sawdust-box method, allowing 20 cents per hour for two hours' labor 

 in testing, and 80 cents for the cost of buying the material and making 

 (he box. This refers to tlie msl <,f the first dtic hundred, subsequent 

 tests cost less. 



