Huntsville gazette., 1883-02-03
A Chat About Corn.
am just home from a corn show at
which was saIacted to act ON the award

am just home from a corn show at
which, was selected to act on the award
ing committee. The premiums-SlO,
SIS. and S2.5O-were offered for the ten
best ears. There were 1876 entries, and
to my surprise the white corn comprised
more than three -fourths of the samples
shown, there being Isl of that sort to
fortJ-five of yellow, red and mixed. L
think the fifty best samples would have
averaged more than twelve pounds to
the lot of ten ears each, which would
make about a bushel of corn-shelled,
not ears-to each fifty-five ears. There
were samples that weighed as high as
seventeen pounds to the lot, but the
ears were not uniform or perfect, and
weight was not considered in making
the award. The three lots that took the
premiums were white, and weighed
thirteen pounds thirteen ounces, fifteen
pounds two ounces, and fourteen pounds
threesounces respectively, the lightest
lot taking the first premium. After the
awards had been made we learned that
they all went to one family, father and
two sons, but all on different farms,
and that they were noted for their fine
corn and careful selection of seed, and
had taken premiums at the Centennial
and many other fairs where they had
exhibited. A@ 1g
n believe that most farmers under
value good selected seed corn. | have
long been of the opinion that there was
no other way in which we could SO
cheaply add to the yield of our corn
crop as by careful selection of seed.
To add twenty or even ten per cent. to
the Weld of corn crop by extra fertili-
zation or tiilage, will require consider
able outlay of time or money; but the
amount of seed required for an acre is
so small that the added cost IS hardly
worth computing, and know that by
careful and persistent selection OF seed
we can add more than twenty per cent.
to the yield of the corn on many farms.
1 use the word "persistent, and L
consider persistence important, Tor he
who selects his seed corn for three years
and then fails to do it, loses all that he
has gained. do not indorse the plan
of changing seed, which is recommended
by so many. and believe it is as unwlse
to change, unless you are sure OF get
/ ting a better variety, as it would be to
do the same with herd of cattle. My
experience in seed gro wing has taught
rue something of the importance of
sspersistence, = and that it takes years to
establish variety. Nearly ten years
ago found an ear of an early variety of
sweet corn, that was dark red, and [
planted it. The product was mixed,
more than half Of it being white, and
the red all shades from very pale to
blood red [ selected each year the
darkest colored, and in five years had
bred out the white and established a
blood-red variety. Careful selection if
followed long enough will change an
early to late, or large to small
variety, or vice versa, with just as much
certainty as the same care will establish
point in stock breeding. | like DIR.
S,urtevant's idea of 'spedigreed seed
corn,'' and believe that the farmer
who will breed a good variety till its
type is established will find customers
who will take his crop at prices that
viii give him large profit. -r
The only way to grow cheap corn is to
increase the yield per acre, and we
should take every possible means to do
tIll>. y liC dNct y psi -
State (Ohio) is now about thirty six
bushels, and it win require no argument
to show that there can not be much profit
on such crops, and this being the average
yield, there must, of course, be large
per cent of the farmers whose crops fall
far below this, and who produce corn at
an actual loss We at the West, in the
great corn-growing districts, can grow
this crop much cheaper than the
farmers Of the Eastern States. | have
for two months past been corresponding
with farmers to ascertain their estimates
of the cost of growing and delivering at
the crib an acre of corn, and the average
cost, including rent, is given by them at
about S12 per acre. In 1877 offered
several valuable premiums for the best
acre of corn, each statement to be
accompanied with detailed account of
the cost of growing and cribbing.
Nineteen reports were sent in, and the
average cost, not allowing rent of land,
was about SO per acre. We will estimate
the entire cost of growing and harvesting
an acre of corn at S14, and now let US
see what the crop viii cost per bushel
with different yields:
So bushels to the acre will cost 89c. per bush.
40 81 I" .' 35c.
30 " Z" 2sc.
IS isa5c.