Plant Guide > Grasses > Indian Corn > Corn seed

Corn seed

Corn seedCross-fertilization between varieties should be prevented if possible. The pollen is carried long distances by wind, and seeds of varieties grown within four hundred yards of each other are apt to be more or less impure.

Both shelled corn and corn in the ear are very retentive of moisture; unless the seed is thoroughly dried before being stored the vitality is apt to be injured or destroyed by heating or severe freezing. When fully ripe, seed corn should be cut and dried on the stalk before husking. If the weather is damp and unfavourable to drying in the shock, the seed should be dried on the ear by artificial means; it should be protected from freezing until the cob is quite dry and brittle. A dark germ with a wrinkled covering shows that the seed has been injured by frost.