1910. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
417 
TESTING THE SEED CORN. 
Reports from all over the West show 
a very poor quality of seed corn. Tests 
indicate that the average corn has very 
poor germinating power. As the result 
of this knowledge, farmers are testing 
their seed corn thoroughly. It is now 
demonstrated that such testing pays, 
because if poor seed is used there is 
always a short stand and a defective 
growth, especially in an unfavorable 
season. Many of our Eastern farmers 
who use their own corn for seed might 
well try the same plan for testing. A 
circular just issued by the Nebraska 
Experiment Station gives a very good 
description of the way this testing is 
done. 
We are told that testing seed corn 
will cost from five to 10 cents per acre, 
TEST AFTER THREE DAYS. Fig. 161. 
and may mean five to 10 bushels per 
acre increase in yield. The work can 
be done now before the rush of farm 
work begins. It is stated that in parts 
of Nebraska not one-half of the seed 
corn would make a fair stand. A pre¬ 
liminary test is first recommended. To 
do this, select 100 ears at random, take 
three grains from each ear, each from 
a different part, mix them up and take 
300 grains for testing. Any shallow 
box is used. Sawdust, sand or soil is 
put on the bottom, cover with a clean 
cloth or blotter, scatter the grain over 
this, then put another cloth or blotter 
on top and more sawdust, sand or soil 
above this. Wet down thoroughly and 
keep in a warm place. This grain ought 
to sprout in four to six days, and if 95 
per cent of the grain germinates, your 
corn is safe to plant. If you get less 
than 85 per cent of germination, it will 
pay you to make the ear test. 
squares are numbered from one to 100, 
and the six kernels from ear No. 1 
will go in square No. 1, and so on up 
to the end, the ears being laid away in 
some place where they can also be 
numbered. Lay another cloth over the 
kernels and on this place sawdust, sand 
or soil, keep it well moistened and in 
a warm place. The grain will sprout 
under this treatment, and in four to 
six days the germination ought to be 
complete. Fig. 161 shows what came 
from such a test after three days. Six 
grains from each ear were taken and 
we see that there is a great difference 
in the way they germinated. For ex¬ 
ample, the one in the center appears to 
be dead, and the one in the left-hand 
lower corner is also worthless for plant¬ 
ing, yet had there been no test these 
ears would have been used for seed, 
and probably have resulted in a poor 
stand. This is a simple test, but 
throughout the West it has given good 
satisfaction, and this method of taking 
six kernels from different parts of the 
ear appears to be a very accurate means 
of measuring the power of the seed to 
grow. Here is an excellent chance for 
some of the boys to become interested 
in a very useful thing. Let them take 
corn out of father’s crib, which he in¬ 
tended for seed, and give it this kind 
of a test. They will be able to show 
him some curious things, and prove 
that it is not the entire story to pick 
out seed corn by the eye alone. 
Fertilizer for Peas. 
y. TF. M. y Auburn. Mass .—In reading the 
answer to F. A. II., Nlan tic, Conn., on 
“Fertilizer for Peas," by Mr. Massey, page 
19S, I would like to ask Mr. Massey if the 
acid phosphate and muriate of potash can 
be mixed in the drills and peas planted on 
it without injury to the peas. Does he 
mean them to be used this way? 
Axs.—I would not put the peas in di¬ 
rect contact with the muriate of potash, 
as from its caustic nature it is apt to 
injure the germination. The best way is 
to open the furrows and apply the fer¬ 
tilizer, then throw the furrow back and 
reopen it so that the fertilizer will be 
mixed with the soil better. 
W. F. MASSEY. 
Enough Is Enough. 
The poultry business is on the boom. 
Keep it up. Rut do not mislead the be¬ 
ginner. lie is the one we have to cater 
to. Don't give him a lot of miserable trash 
to digest. Give him facts, facts as they 
really are. and less of this 10-dollar-a-hen- 
a-year business. Don’t get him thinking 
PLACING GRAINS IN GERMINATION BOX. Fig. 162. 
In order to make this test, you pick 
out the ears that suit you in appearance 
and size and lay them aside—that is, 
side by side in some convenient place. 
You should have at least 12 ears for 
each acre. Keep them in regular order, 
so that you can tell which is which by 
number. Take six kernels from each 
ear, two from near the butt, two from 
lhe middle and two from the other tip. 
Then prepare what is known as a germi¬ 
nation box, which is shown with some 
of the ears at Fig. 162 . To make this 
box, put two or three inches of saw¬ 
dust, sand or soil in the bottom, then 
put on a white cloth, which is marked 
out in two-inch squares, so as to make 
100 of these squares to each box. These 
that lie will make millions in the business. 
It isn t fair. That accounts for so many 
failures. What we want in the poultry 
writing of to-day is less of the yellow 
Journal tactics. I do really believe that 
most of the journals print that stuff for 
want of other news. To-day evervtliing is 
misleading. One paper says that this 
breed is the best for laying, while in anoth¬ 
er paper some man writes about a certain 
breed that has got it all over the other 
breed for laying. According to that the 
beginner would have to raise fowls from 
each breed in order to find out which one 
is the better layer. Give him a little more 
timely news, such as how to construct a 
good coop, how to take care of young chicks, 
how to feed for eggs, for meat. etc. He 
does not care a hyphen what you or I made 
last year. What he wants to know-is, how 
can he produce results, whether for fancy 
or market. He won’t find that out reading 
over a lot of egg records and 12-dollar-a-hen 
articles. Give the beginner a square deal. 
I ell him the truth, and above all, adver¬ 
tisers, be honest, and give him just what he 
asks for. Do this, and then we shall have 
more with us, and the poultry business will 
be better off. j>. A . k. 
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