Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-04-11
EarHl THtresfta,
THE CORN CROP,

"A man may De lhrllet ana TIEb
neither wheat, oats, cotton, clover or,
any Of the grasses.
He may be farmer and raise
neither horse, COW, hog or sheep.
But in all my life l have never
known farmer who did not raise
corn. When a man is too much of a
fool to do anything else, it is said he
can raise a crop of corn when he is
too lazy and idle to make living at
anything else, it is thought he can
make a living raising corn. 1t grows
on the poorest clay or the richest
loan. 1t will grow in every kind
Of climate from the Arctic TO the
Torrid zone. There is neither hu,
man, beast, bid or fish that will not
eat food prepared from this gain
This universal food plant is a native
Of America and was found in cultiva.
ton by the AbOrigines when Column
bus discovered America 400 years
ago. 1t was their chief food and
they looked upon it AS the best of the
gifts of the great Spirit. They have
many pretty legends of how. the
Great Spirit gave the Indians corn.
They yet each year have a great festi-
val called the green corn dance in
which they pay their devotion to the
Great Spirit for corn. They parched
their corn, slowed it away in baskets.
Some of which l have seen. This
same parched Indian corn saved the
early settlers at both jamestown and
Plymouth Rock from starvation
when their supplies gave out. Cora
was carried to Spain in 1920 by Co
lumbus. 1t soon spread over all
Europe and Asia. Yet it has re-
manned for it to take the firmest hold
here in America its native country,
where its cultivation is well nigh
universal. 1t is on every farm and
in every garden. He has Il perverted
taste indeed, who does not like green
corn. 1t finds place on the table of
the rich and poo. 1t is the main
reliance for human foodin the United
States. Without corn and its pro-
ducts these United States would be
poor indeed, for it enters into the
every day necessities of every home
in the land. We cannot conceive
how the ancients got along without
corn. How did they raise their
hogs without corn? do not blame
the hogs from getting the devil in
them and running down into the sea
if they had no corn.
This product that is grown so uni.
versally and in all climates on all
soils and with all manner Of cultiva'
ton, and often with little or no cul.
tivatIon, must be a peculiar plant, il
it does not succeed best on some kline
Of soils and with some peculiar kinds
of cultivation and if it has no PARTIAL
ty of climate.
These are questions it is importan
to settle. These are the objects of thi
discussion-to arrive if we can a
what are the conditions to secure TIT
greatest yield of corn. 1t is the de
sire or should be of every one, to &c
the greatest yield possible for labo
and expense incurred in raising
corn crop, or as to that, any Othe
undertaking in life. 1t is to thi
spirit of desire to reach the creates
excellence, that we owe every i'm
provement since the creation. StriV
ing to excel, to attain the limit c
human excellence. We cannot be
lieve the limit to corn product
reached, though so barrels to the acr
have been produced. The West ha
been supposed to excel in corn an
those conditions to the greatest d.
veloping of corn were there found i
their greatest number, but it n
manned for recent years to sho'
where the best climate and soil al
for corn.
In 1889 the American Agriculture
offered As premiums for the best yiel
Of an acre of corn. The South cal
tured IA of these, including the cap
tai prize. The average of these yielC
were 95 bushels, the best 255 bushel
This clearly shows that the South h;
climate and soil to excel any otht
section of America.
1t now becomes us to enquil
what part of the South is best f,
corn? Where does it best succeed?
Our state has often met the Sout
in friendly rivalry in corn shows an
seldom come out second best. ]
fact our state has reputation for fiji
corn second to none in the union