ADVENTURES OF A KERNEL OF CORN 31 



that you are on a solid and firm ear, which denotes 

 a healthy condition. Just look at the poor fellows 

 on that rough, long-kemeled ear in the rack next to 

 you. They are loose on the cob, and have a lot of 

 room, all because they are diseased, and they will 

 not be alive by the time the planting season arrives. 

 Just you wait and see what happens to the two of 

 you when Farmer Good starts to select seed for 

 his fields," concluded the experienced ear near by. 



About this time Farmer Good came into the seed 

 house and began to get the com- testing machines 

 ready. The arrangement for testiag the seed con- 

 sisted of a large tray of sawdust on which a cloth 

 was laid, upon which the kernels of com were placed 

 with the germ up. Then another heavier cloth was 

 placed on top of the kernels, and after being well 

 moistened with warm water, the trays were placed 

 in the warm air of the germinating room with the 

 temperature at eighty degrees. The other machine 

 was a moisture tester, consisting of several trays di- 

 vided into one hundred squares for the kernels of 

 each ear. These trays- were then placed in an in- 

 cubator, where a damp, warm atmosphere was main- 

 tained at all times. 



While the kernels of com on the ears were watch- 

 ing the proceedings and the ears themselves were 



