The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-02-02
THE CORN QUESTION.
DISCUSSED BY THE BRISTOL AND PARIS

The Bristol and Paris Farmers Club met
ON Wednesday afternoon and evening. Jan.
"a, at the residence of Mr.. Daniel Marsh.
There was full attendance and the time
previous to supper was spent in genial
social converse. Ifthere was any one present
unprepared with good appetites l think
there were money to meet the demands of
the supper table it was certainly to be re.
GREETED for no one succeeds better than
the presiding lady of this house in the pres
paration of meal at once both substantial
and dainty. After supper the meeting ad-
journed to the parlor and Mr.. H. A. New
bury was chosen president.
Rev. H. M. Corsbie, chairman of the COM
mittee on programme, suggested the grow
ing of corn as question for discussion. To
open the question the Rev. gentleman read
an article on the improvement of varieties Of
corn by Hon, F. D. Curtis, president of the
New York State Dairymen's Association.
The paper particularly recommended the
continued cultivation of known and valu
| able varieties, and by careful selection of
| seed every year to establish and improve
the distinctive characteristics of the same
variety on the same principles that the
breeds of animals are improved and enabled
to transmit with certainty we'll defined char
acteristics. He deprecated the constant
changes of seed on which some farmers
hang their hopes Of improvement and con-
sidered it as utterly subyersive of genuine
progress. At the close of the reading the
president declared the question open to
discussion by the meeting
Mr.. Abram Guile said he had largely in
creased his yield of corn by procuring
seed from Rockford, Ill. He thought he
would be safe in offering his entire crop
| of corn to any man who would sort his cribs
over and find q soft ear Of cora or a cob that
was not red. The ears were all alike, the
cobs were all alike, and the corn was alike.
Upon inquiry it was evidenced that in the
region of Rockford the soil is we'll adapted
to the growth of corn; that large acres are
planted that contiguous farms grow the
same varieties. and that therefore varieties
remain distinct and are improved by careful
selection and cultivation. These facts con-
firm the position taken by Mr.. Curtiss in
his paper. If a farmer can find variety
which yields better and larger crop than
the one he is growing the sooner he changes
seed the better. But the only way he can
MAINTAIN its quality or improve it is by
ing the choicest ears for seed.
+ The president called the attention of the
meeting to the results of an experiment of
which he read in one of his papers. 1t has
! been usual to reject the kernels from the
: tips and butts of each ear in planting corn
In this experiment the tips and butts and
middle kernels were each planted separately
and the result was that the tip kernels pro
! duced the best yield. 0ae experiment will
not decide the question conclusively. It i
important TO know whether tip and butt
kernels should be rejected or not in planting
1t may be the best results can be got BY
planting the entire ear mixed. Careful ex
e periments should be made by each farmer e
decide the question.
Mr.. r. F Roberts put the question to tht
meeting: " What is the relative profit oil
the corn crop here as compared with oats
e barley or fax?"
I MIR. Charles Marsh said that forty bushels
9 of oats per acre was fair yield, taking a
!, number of years together; and the forty
/. bushelsssof shelled corn per acre could be a
easily produced as forty bushels of oats
while the feeding value Of the corn wa
double that of the oats and generally TIL
Q market value was double. The harvesting
y of the oats must be done on the instant wher
!. ripe or great loss of grain would result ant
0 the straw was of little value in any case
e The demand in harvesting grain is SO larg'
y that labor is high and scarce and the cost
n very considerable. A crop of corn cal
stand several days after ripening withou
II injury. and what cannot be husked in tn
Q fall can be finished on pleasant days later
n Mr.. Henry Blackman said he had bee