Better Seed Corn

Charles Pinckney Hartley

Jan 1920 · U.S. Department of Agriculture

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"Corn yields can be increased more surely and more cheaply by the use of better seed than in any other way. Seed corn should be selected in the field from stalks which yield best in equal competition with others. It should be of a variety which succeeds well and matures under local conditions. Ears should be saved only from stalks free from disease. Drooping ears which shed rain readly should be selected, and these should be borne on the stalks at a convenient height for husking. In the South, ears which are well protected from insects by a long, tight shuck covering should be chosen. The same day that seed is gathered it should be hung in a dry airy place. One of the best ways to cure seed corn is to hang it from the rafters of a barn or open shed. It should not be allowed to freeze before it is thoroughly dry. After it is well cured it should be stored in a dry place where it will remain secure from mice, rats, birds and insects. Well-cured seed corn will yield a much better crop than seed originally as good but injured through lack of care. Generally speaking, the seed corn that produces the best crop is the cheapest. Farmers are justified in devoting considerable time to selecting and caring for it or in paying good prices if better seed corn is purchased." -- p. [2]