Freezing Injury of Seed Corn 
31 
days each. The same variety of corn (Hogue's Yellow Dent) 
was used for each planting. Thus ears of the same variety but 
of different degrees of maturity could easily be selected at any 
one time in the fall. As soon as the early planted corn was 
well matured, selections were made from each plot. These 
selections included ears representing four stages of maturity. 
The first stage was green corn, much greener than would ever 
be selected for seed. In fact, this represented the “roasting 
ear" stage of development. The ears of the fourth stage were 
the most mature ones that could be found in the field at the 
time. The starchy part of the kernels was beginning to appear 
dry and mealy when cut with a knife. The horny part of the 
kernels also had begun to appear hard and brittle. As the 
season advanced, the corn secured for the fourth stage became 
drier and more mature, while the selections for the first stage 
remained very much the same thruout the season. The second 
and third stages represented intermediate degrees of maturity 
between the first and the fourth. 
METHOD OF HANDLING 
The ears selected were taken at once from the field and 
treated in the following manner: (1) A part of the tip was 
removed and discarded. (2) Each ear was divided into threp 
sections. The section next to the tip was used for a moist ire 
test, and the adjacent section for an immediate freezing est. 
The remaining part of the ear was stored in a dry, airy place 
where it would have a chance to cure thoroly. This part to- 
gether with the frozen section was kept in storage for four or 
five months. At the end of that time germination tests were 
made. 
MOISTURE TESTS 
Moisture tests were made of the grain on each ear. The 
samples were dried at 100° to 110° C., and the percentage of 
water was calculated, using the green weight as a basis. In 
all cases the sample for the moisture determination was taken 
next to. or from the part of the ear which was to be subjected 
to the freezing temperature. The percentage of moisture thus 
secured represented very closely the actual moisture content of 
the corn placed in the freezing test. 
SUBJECTION TO FREEZING TEMPERATURES 
Ears representing the four stages of maturity were sub- 
jected to different ranges of freezing temperature for a period 
