SELECTION BED— SECOND YEAR 



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SELECTION BED.— (Second Year).— In the spring of the second 

 year, greater care and better judgment will be required in order to 

 advance. The 50 ears now selected should possess a uniformity of 

 type and show strong powers of germination. A repetition of the 

 steps of the first year should be carried on the second. Some criticism 

 of this method for continued use has been made. The argument set 

 forth is fear of inbreeding and consequently a loss in productiveness. 

 In a block of three acres properly handled, inbreeding to a harmful 

 extent will not take place for many years, if at all. If the selection 

 bed, as outlined, were carried on by every farmer in the corn belt, 

 it would add millions of dollars to the annual income of the corn- 

 producing states. 



