170 



SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



for planting capable of germination. Several different 

 methods of selecting a supply of seed for the ensuing 

 year's crop are used throughout the leading corn states. 

 Among those commonly practiced are the four given below : 

 (I) The farmer maj' go into his fields before the first 

 killing frost of autumn and gather the seed ears in a sack 

 or basket. The advantages of this method are : 



Fig. 



- Boys gathering seed corn. 



(a) He is able to select those ears which mature early, 

 thus securing early maturity in the following season's crop. 



(6) He is able to study the parent plant and its environ- 

 ment, just as we have done in Exercise 18. 



(c) He is able to study the characteristics of the ear 

 and kernels, precisely as we did in Exercises 42, 43, and 44. 



(f?) He is able to preserve the vitality of the seed, since 

 it is gathered before the frost has had a chance to injure 

 it and may be properly cared for thereafter. 



