Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-06-29
Corn Is King In America.

Corn Is the leading grain crop in the
United States. The yield last year was
not far below two thousand million
bushels, and the area of the vast corn.
field was thirteen times that of the STATE
of Massachusetts,. The compliant has
very plastic nature, and accommo.
dates itself quickly to any varying con.
ditions. As write this there is before
me an ear of corn of a variety that was
taken from Maine to the West few
years ago. Its smallness, as produced in
the East, has been replaced by larger size
of ear and kernel, and the nature of the
variety is so changed that few or none
of the growers of it in Maine would now
recognize the Western offspring. This
illustration is the experience of any
farmer who brings sort from dis
lance and submits it to different condi-
tons and surroundings.
The compliant is also one that readily
admits of crossing, or hybridizing, as
1t is termed. This comes from the fact
that the two kinds of flowers are on diff.
ferent parts of the stalk. The female
flowers are close together on spike or
side branch, which develops into the
ear, while the male or pollen-bearing
flowers are at the upper end of the stalk,
and make what is known as the tassel
In the formation of a fertile kernel it is
necessary for some of the pollen or
fiower-dust of the tassel to fall upon the
silk of the new ear, and to thus fertilize
the grain and quicken it into perfect
growth. If whole field is shedding
its dust it is as likely for the grains Of
one ear to be fortified by the pollen
from another stalk as by dust from its
own tassel. If two varieties, rs, for ex-
ample, white and yellow sort, are
planted side by side, the ears in the adj
Joining rows will be thoroughly mixed,
and the mixing will extend as far from
the border line as the pollen of the two
sorts is carried by the wind.
The two facts that have been treated
have very practical bearing. In the
trst place the farmer should be on the
lookout for superior quality of corn,
and when found grow it with care, and
see If it holds its good qualities under
the new conditions. OF two varieties
grown side by side, one may yield twice
ms much grain as the other. This shows
that great deal depends upon the kind
that is grown. The second fact, that
of ease of crossing, should lead farmers
to experiment with corn and endeavor
to combine the good qualities of two or
more sorts. 1t may be that one variety
has all the desirable qualities save one,
and by combining this with one having
that lacking characteristic the hybrid
will be better than either of the two
kinds from which it sprang.
Aside from the chances of improve
ment, there is the pleasure that always
comes from making study of ones
crop. A farmer is behind the times
who does not experiment more or less.
What would all other branches of in.
dustry be if there was no risk? The
lives of inventors and discoveries are
devoted to testing and trials, and i'm the
same manner the farmer, though on
small scale, should be testing and com.
bining, that new and better grains,
fruits, ETC., may result.
Much may be done to improve the
quality of corn by a judiciOus system OF
selecting the best of the best; but this is
not the time of year for suggestions for
this Now is complaining time. and
all that can be said as to the seed foi
this year is that the best that can be
found should be planted.
The compliant is a semi-tropical one,
and has only short time TO complete
its growth. The average time is not far
from one hundred and twenty days.
This shows that the soil should be in ev
cry way fitted for the grain. 1t needs to
be deep, rich and mellow. The compliant
sends out a large number of fine roots,
and the soil needs to be mellow and rich,
that the plant may get the food as rap
idly as it can use it.
There are some bad enemies to the
compliant, among the worst of which
are grub-worms and smut. The crow
is often considered as an enemy, but,
taken all for all, it is a friend of the
farmer. The noble bird may pull some
of the young plants. but for most of the
year it feeds upon grubs, worms and
other injurious insects. Spare the crow
by keeping it off the corn field with
some scare-crow for a few DAYS in
spring, and let it do good for the rest OF
the year. Of smut we will treat later
1t comes in late summer, and should be
removed and burned as it appears.
The worst enemy are the weeds They
thrive in old land, if not kept i'm check
by the horse-cultivator and hand-hoe
The tillage that the killing of the weeds
require helps to let the air into the soil
and leads to a better growth, so that
weeds stimulate to better culture than
the corn-field would otherwise get
Weeds may be blessings in disguise.
The compliant is full of grand posi-.
bilities, and responds to any touch Of
thoughtful care. 1t is for our farmers
to develop this plant. and make it yield
far more than it does at present
TURNER'S Re3,ie1c