Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-01-16
JOTTINGs FROM JosElN.

rurtner D1ecuesion Of That Corn Growing
Contest and Other Happening..
JosLIN, Jan. 15.-Rev. DR.. j. G.
Evans, of Hedding college, preached
at the Yuma Methodist church Sum
day.
Mr.. and Mrs. d. ". Mumma are
the pround parents of girl baby.
Claude De Mundrun is visiting
with his sister and brother-in-lsw at
Clinton.
MIR. and Mrs. S. S. Beal left their
daughter at Valparaiso, Ind, much
improved.
John Campbell. son of Mrs. Wes-
ley Hanna. has been visiting his JOS
lin friends.
The Joslin Lumber company is
still receiving lumber from Moline
by the car load.
Mrs. King Matthews. of Erie. and
Mrs. Alsbrow, her sister, of Port
Byron, have been visiting with their
relatives.
There was an oyster supper Friday
evening last at the residence Of
Matthew Schater for the benefit OF
| Rev. Brock.
During the last week MIR. Stone, Of
Port Byron, accountant, has been
posting and squaring up the store
accounts of W. H. Whiteside.
/ Joseph Wbiteside has been taking
a well earned vacation from his store
duties and has been visiting his
brother, DR.. C. f. Whiteside, and
parents, OF Moline.
Frank Bryant, son Of Samuel Bry-
ant. has become student at He'd
ding college. Abingdon, Ill. He was
accompanied by Rev. Thompson. of
Port Byron. Frank is very well
pleased with Hedding and it's sur
roundings.
Saturday last Mrs. C. NJ. Hubbard
took the train down TO barstow to
visit with her old time friends. DR..
and Mrs. Reiter. They take great
pleasure in making occasional trips
backward and forward.
There has been SO much talk and
so many questions asked with regard
to the corn contest from half pound
of seed given to the subscribers of
the Western Plowman, of Moline.
that l forthwith publish the letter
received from Mr.. Lewis, of New
York, who raised /, 4S0 pounds from
a half pound OF seed. which would
be at the rate of about three hun
dred bushels per acre. Mr.. Lewis
says: 1.-The package of Plowman
corn received OF you last spring was
planted May 6 on a piece of ground
that had been occupied as n currant
patch for number of years, and as
the variety was not satisfactory it
had been allowed to- go neglected
and had gotten to be covered with
heavy sod Of redtop and timothy, as
il had not been cultivated for five or
six years. The bushes were cut
around with an axe and flattened out
and shovelful OF very fine old ma
nure was placed on top of the sod
three feet apart each way. On this
the corn was planted, two grains to
the hill, which were covered about
three inches deep with good garden
soil. The soil is light sand rest
ing on gravel subsoil. When the
corn was about two inches high it
was frozen TO the ground, but it
came right along and not one plant
failed. In three weeks it had made
fine growth, and so had the grass
which was bent down and covered
four or five inches deep with stable
manure. 1t received no cultivation
whatever for two reasons: First,
it would have been impos sible, ard
hn
pletely smothered and killed the
grass it was not necessary. Not
outstanding it was an excessively
dry season the corn grew apace, the
grass and sod covered with the ma
nure holding the moisture long
time, and the corn shading the
ground SO that no weeds started. 1t
reached height of about nine feet
or more and astonished the natives.
1t was husked Oct. % and weighed
Nov. Z. There were no soft ears; all
nice and dry. Although not practi-
cable for a large field. / once before
grew small piece of corn on top of
the sod, and the crop was very
heavy. A. b. Hendricks, who is a
banker, and John Troy, our post
master. who sign my report. are both
very much interested in their gar
dens and have closely watched this
corn and were surprised and could
hardly believe their own eyes to see
corn grow on top of the ground.
Later may write you something on
growing corn
MULTUM IN PARvO.