American citizen., 1875-04-24

for years in the West, gradually become
softer and more starchy in the grain.
The species, however, of either ami
mails or plants always remain the same.
Early and late ripening must be taken
into consideration by the cultivator. In
your locality, for instance, you would
not succeed with the large, late varieties
that ripen perfectly in Kansas and the
southern portion of the corn district of
Illinois. In Minnesota still earlier va
riety than with you would probably be
preferable; certainly it would in Central
Wisconsin. In confirmation of this fact
experiments made by us in Livingston
County, Ill, some years ago may not be
uninteresting. One variety, burlington
"a white, dent corn, fourteep-rOwed, the
ears seven to eight inches long-ripened
in 100 days from the time of planting,
and was fit to husk-from the hill-that
is, perfectly dry-Sept. 1. Another late
Southern variety, obtained from Kansas,
ripens SO as to be fit for shucking Sept.
20, and was not fit for husking and crib
bing until Nov. 1, and this in a season
when the average temperature was very
high. All the varieties tested were
planted on the 1st of May.
Our ordinary varieties of Western corn,
or those of medium earliness, planted at
the same time, were fit to husk Oct. 1.
These will usually ripen-or in an aver
age season be ready for shucking-in
from 100 to 120 days, when plarted at
the usual planting season. The Burling-
ton variety we have had ripen in eighty
or eighty-five days, when planted from
the 25th of May to the 1st of June.
Indian corn, although not extremely
sensitive to alterations of heat, is so in
a very considerable degree. 1t may,
therefore, be taken as a type to illustrate
the effect of climate in pc rfecting or re-
tarding growth and in ripening the grain.
A point in this connection, and one not
generally taken into consideration, is the
fact that the earth is the great store
house of heat; and very often the super
fetal observer or experimenter will be
sorely deceived in his deductions, from
the failure to weigh every integer that
goes to make up the value of experiment.
1t is the difference between the charlatan
who willfully deceives and the mere the
orist who jumps at conclusions. The ag-
riculturist who seeks to elicit the facts
must necessarily be experimental and
work upon inductive methods. No de-
ductiOns must be drawn except those
that can be proved from facts. Elimi-
mating facts from carefully conducted
experiments is of the utmost Importance
in acquiring new knowledge relating to
agriculture. They must not be conducted
by mere pretenders, nor by that class of
so-called scientists who are prone to
jump at conclusions. Patient investiga-
tion in agriculture, by careful expert
ments, must precede or be the ground
work furnishing correct data. This, and
patient investigation of the results of
continued experiments under various
conditions, can alone give correct data
upon which to found facts. So, in esti
mating the time of ripening Indian corn
or any plant developed by solar temper
ature, care must be taken to employ the
| same variety in each case; and the ex.
| periments should be conducted through
| ton taken to note causes which NIGH
tend to produce other than previous re
suits.
All facts tending to throw light on ag
| ricultural processes, or which tend tC
| eliminate scientific facts, are of direct
money-value to the nation at large. il
| ought to be made the legitimate sphere
of competent officers under the Govern
ment, as is the case in some of the Euro
pean nations. For the time and trouble
required to carry forward legitimately
even simple experiments precludes the
possibility of it being done by men who
have their daily bread and butter to earn
| Take Indian corn for instance: VIZ
consider from forty to fifty bushels {
good crop; the majority of Western
farmers never complain if they get thu
lesser quantity. There are plenty O.
records where 100 bushels per acre have
been raised. The census returns, in ex
ceptionally good years, show an average
of only about twenty-eight bushels PEE
acre for the entire acreage planted
Somebody must lose a pile of money
somewhere, for the average is the meaI
between the highest and lowest yields
Who lose the money? AS a rule, thos,
who think more of yellow-coveredn newell
than yellow fields of heavy corn, ant
grains.