176 SOILS AND PLANT LIFE 



EXERCISE 46 



Object. — To determine the percentage of germinable 

 kernels in twelve ears of corn. 



Procedure. — Each student should have a seed corn 

 holder, made from soldered wire fencing as shown in Figure 

 75 and described in Section 116. If this can not be con- 

 veniently procured, however, a holder, or rack, of any other 

 kind may be used. 



Bring to the schoolroom twelve ears of corn, which are 

 to be used in the spring for seed. Place them on your 

 holder, numbering the samples according to their position 

 in some order that is not Uable to become confused. If 

 there is any danger of getting the ears disarranged, they 

 should be numbered by placing a rubber band about each 

 one and fastening to the band a small numbered tag, 

 or by driving a tack and numbered strip into the butt. 



Each student should have a piece of musUn of good 

 quahty about nine inches wide and thirty-six inches long ; 

 and he should write upon it plainly his name, the name of 

 the farmer for whom the seed corn is tested and the date 

 of making the test. 



Lay your strip on a desk or table. Using a soft pencil 

 — not indeUble — mark it off as follows : 



(1) Draw a cross line ; that is, a line at right angles to 

 the length of the strip, eight inches from the left end. This 

 eight-inch space is to be left vacant. 



(2) Draw a line lengthwise along the middle of the 

 cloth from this cross line to the other end. 



(3) Draw six other cross lines at right angles to this 

 long line and four inches apart. 



There are now fourteen squares on your cloth. How- 

 ever, the two at the end will not be used and may be dis- 

 regarded. Number the others with your pencil so that 



