Wichita eagle., 1888-12-12
THE CORN PROBLEM.

| the afternoon session yesterday, py >. d
Mann Of Sedgwick county:
In accepting the invitation to prepar
and read paper before this convention
on corn culture, can not but feel SOM
misgivings as to being able to do the just
ice required to such an important subject
As the object, however, is to open tn,
discussion. [ trust that what errors may
make or any radical views / may adj
vance may be corrected in the discussion
to follow.
While the laws that govern the growth
of cereals are the same. everywhere. The
methods employed in different parts o.
our great country in their cultivation arr
wide apart and it may be said with some
| degree of certainty, men who may raise
| the greatest amount of grain sometime;
practice least the laws which govern the
yield OF a crop. Especially is this true
with the great corn growing west.
If one of our Kansas farmers decides
to make trip east to New England his
first inquiry is, which of the many pop
ular lines of railroad is the shortest. and
which will agree to land him at his jour
ney's end in the shortest possible time:
If he decides to build house or barn he
will give the contract to the builder who
will complete the work in the shortest
time. other things being equal. In short,
it has come to be the habit OF our west
ern people to be in q hurry when
once an enterprise is planned, to see the
end of it, We plant corn for the crop
we gather, not simply to have something
to do, hence the sooner we can mature
the crop, and have 1t gathered, the soon
er we can realize on it financially. In
the north. it is matter of absolute ne
cessity, if the farmer raises corn at all =,
that he shOrtens the time for maturing
it, to the minimum.
He has studied long and hard to pro-
cure that variety of corn that will ripen
soonest, to be out of the way of the
early frost. TO this end he has sought
to aid the rapid growth during the short
season, by high cultivation, as well as
every other art in his power.
He has accomplished much in this direC-
ton, and while he has shortened the
time, he has heightened the yield as
well. The Kansas farmer found on To-
eating here, the season many weeks
longer than in Michigan or New York.
He found also that the native soil was
almost inexhaustible in It's resources.
AS consequence he soon relaxed his
care, as to the time his crop was planted,
as well as the outstanding of every par
ticle of fertilizing material: two points
he was obliged to regard, while at home
on the old farm in the east, If that was
his former home.
Ihave often heard it said that if Kan
sas farmer can get good crop once in
three wears he can live. If this be true
then if he can learn how TO get a good
crop every year, he can certainly get
rich. Now l am going to hazard the as
sertion that good corn may be raised in
SedgwIck county every year, barring, Of
course, the extraordinary occasions of
cyclones, earthquakes, etc.
Corn may be planted here as early as
April to -. Counting from the first
date, one hundred days, will bring us to
the 9Th Of July If from the 18th it will
take us to the cath nf July
While farmer in Michigan l have
matured crop of corn in ten days less
than that. and it gave me yield of 100
bushels Of ears, which shelled out nearly
which is to me evidence that it does not
follow that because the variety is early
that it is necessarily a small corn. From
season seldom ever sets in here before
the middle Of July to the first or middle
of August.
Had the farmers of this county planted
some of the earlier varieties of corn last
spring, as early as April 18th, there
would have been plenty of time to have
the crop before the rains ceased.
| believe there are many instances that
- -
proves what l have said.
The expense of obtaining early varie- |
ties of seed is not great, and when once |
had it may be retained a number of |
years-if not neutrality-suspicious. new
seed must be again imported. With |
these facts before us, then, is it not worth /
the while of Kansas farmers to expert |
ment at least in this direction? May |
not ask your indulgence while | give my
method of saving and importing seed |
corn:
Men improve their stock by selecting /
inc most perfect animals to breed from. |
They pay large prices for imported, |
choice animals. Can any
one deny that it pays to do this:
What is true of animals is just as |
rue of the vegetable kingdom. 1t pays
equally well to select the most perfect |
ears of corn. Not only in size, shape, |
,olor, length of kernel, smallness of cob |
1t that it grew on strong, vigorous
stalk and matured earliest of any in the
ied.
While the corn is yet standing, before
t is dry enough to crib | would select
he ripest part of the field: from this l
would carefully pick out the choicest.
earliest, best developed ears, taking care
hat the ear is we'll filed out from the
,ut to the tip, with not a blomish or
Missing kernel. 1t may be safely pulled
,ff when we'll out of the milk. even
hould it shrink a little it will do no
larm. TIE husks stripped back and tied
nto punches TO dry.
1t is not long nor expensive Job to
gather in this way corn enough for the
l.Xt years planting, and | am sadly at
ault if you do not find that your corn
lot only holds its own, as to earliness,
'ut will improve in quality every year,
nd soon such thing as nubbins or i'm
perfect ears will be the exception in your
rop.
Another important point right here,
hat should not be overlooked, is, that
sc should aim most to improve the ear
more than the stalk. 1t is the ear or
ather the shelled corn that we want. a
mailer stalk with not only one. but two
I more good ears, should be the aim Of
ur ambition. This, it is now proven,
nay be done like all other improve
lents. However, it must come from
arient and painstaking efforts. While
your seed corn. watch care
lilly for those stalks bearing two ears.
one of them is at all suitable, pick it.
f possibly both are fit save them both.