Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-15

silo as one of the appliances of modern
farming. Formerly 1T was deslderatum
to produce only so much fodder as was
necessary for the support of the greatest
number of bushels of shelled corn to the
acre But now, when the slower is pre-
served in green state in the sllo, or even
when it is cut and steamed for stock, the
desirable thing is to develop and balance
the corn plant, so that it shall yield the
largest possible amount of both grain
and fodder-that is, of course, where the
farmer has a slo, OF cuts and steams his
fodder.
But probably great majority of farm
ers do not, and never will. use either of
these appliances.
Now, the following question may peril
nently be raised: Are one hundred bush
els of corn and five tons of slower worth
more than seventy-five bushels of corn
and seven tons of slower, or less? As l
have never used the silo myself, though l
have fed out many thousands of tons of
dry fodder, l leave it to those who have
to determine this question, also to debate,
whether there is approximate correctness
in the above estimate of the relative pro-
portions of grain and fodder. Let Us
consider the more practical question of
how to develop the heaviest possible yield
of grain per acre, which may be done
with a considerable less than the largest
possible production of fodder. L Will
take a case in actual practice.
The corn grown on the famous bottom
lands of the Muskingum River, Ohio,
worth 800 to $50 an acre, very seldom
produces 100 bushels of shelled corn per
acre. The Beverly Fair is the nucleus
and representative of these bottom lands.
On the other hand, the Barlow Fair Is the
exponent and nucleus of the lands of the
watershed between the Ohio and the
Muskingum, thinnish red and yellow clay,
worth say $50 an acre. Yet when l
make my annual visit to the Barlow Fair,
| am astonished at the robust size and
beauty of the ears of corn. That these
clay uplands should equal or surpass our
bottom farms in fruit wheat and wool,
is not to he wondered at; but that these
farmers should be able to gather out of
their fields so many dozen of baskets of
ears actually averaging longer Though
not generally so thick and yielding as
many or more ounces of shelled grain
than the ears grown on the river, Is a tact
calling for explanation.
My friend, VIM. Eldridge, one of these
upland farmers referred to, though
taken hundred bushels of shelled corn
per acre as his objective point, and one
notable fact about his crops is, that most
| of the ears grow within three or four feet
of the ground. He gives careful atten-
tion to the propagation and preservation
OF his seed, holding that the most careful
selection of seed from corn grown in
large quantities is, at best, no better
than the purchase of nice lot of ewes
in lamb, without knowing the character
of the mail parent of their expected off
spring.
The infiorescence of corn is mOnoeclous,
and the pistillate and staminate flowers
are so far apart that it would seem as if
nature had provided against self-fertili-
zation. Every grain of corn is the re-
| suit of the fertilization of plstH or
! style silk of one blossom by the pollen
| shed by the stamens of another (tassel) 4;
! and very often the latter is borne on
| different plant. 4 stalk of corn stand
ing quite alone generally forms very
! few kernels, because the wind carries its
| own pollen away, and does not bring any
| from other plants to take its place.
! Hence there is little more certainty in
! the outcome of the grains in field than
! there would be in the color of a cross be
tween a white pig and black pig. Hence
also the motley colOrs or careless farm
ers' corn-red, yellow, white, ever black,
striped and bIotched together over the
kernels on the same ear.
Mr.. Eldridge takes the best ear he can
find in the lot of last years seed crop,
and from it grows a new seed crop each
year. He does not always choose the
| largest ear; the one he reserved last fall
was pulled from the stalk September -,
and contained about LOO grains. This
ear he dries carefully by the fire, lays it
! away secure from mice, Vermin and damp
until January, when it is shelled by hand
and all the faulty grains removed. The
four hundred or five hundred gains
saved are labeled and laid away until
| spring.
After his general crop is planted, these
few hundred choice kernels are put in,
remote from other corn, among beans
and potatoes, and on soil not too rich in
carbonace0us matter, but heavily fertil-
Ized with phosphate and ashes.
When the corn is in tassel. every OBJ
! jectionable stalk is removed before it has
time to shed its pollen. Otherwise the
treatment is the same as that given to
the field crop. Dried as above related,
scarcely q single kernel fails to germi
nate.
He plants this seed crop later than the
general crop in order that the seed may
| be accustomed to a season somewhat
shorter than the average. If, owing to
this late planting, an early frost cuts off
! his seed crop, he still has the main crop
as a resort. But handful of stock seed
is kept over each year from which grow
| the seed crop in any event.
Mr.. E., being an upland farmer, seeks
a large" ear mot the largest for seed;
while [ have observed that river farmers
! almost universally choose a medium
! ear. He has not yet noticed any diminu-
| ton of the ear from this late planting
and early harvesting; if any should en-
sue, he thinks he should save the later
| ripening ears instead of the earlier.
He plants on ground not too rich, that
he may keep the growth of this stalk
within bounds; and uses an uncommonly
| large application of mineral fertilizers
| Ton this seed CROP to supply the seed
with these elements more fully than would
! be necessary in grain to be used for feed
| ing purposes. His corn gen orally comes
! up in good color.
This variety of corn has been grown
| by Mr.. L. and his relatives, without
| change, since 1917, tact which Coca to
| show that the popular idea that corn will
run out Is delusion, arising from lack
/ of care in cultivation and selection. On
| the secondary limestone of eastern Penn
/ sylvania it has yielded as highly as ninety
| bushels per acre.
His uniformly heavy yields of shelled
| corn, growing on so small an amount of
| fodder, making light work in handling,
amply Justify this care in the propaga-
! ton of his seed.
! Might not farmers well consider wheth-
err they could not produce more corn and
less stoyer per acre:
Turnip Pasture.
| Our Country Home.
| Few farmers in this country know the
value of turnip pasture. We generally
like to take things too easy to put in tur-
nips and gather them, although they will