The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-02-07
COAL OIL AND SEED Corn.

EDITOR REGISTER: Some time in
December of last year noticed an
item in your paper telling of a farmer
who had 40 acres of wheat destroyed
by Chinch bugs. Not wishing to
loose the use of the land he plowed
the same and planted it in corn.
Thirty five acres he planted the old
way, i. e., shelled the corn and put it
in the planter as everyone else does,
but being a man who apparently
feared also the loss of the corn if it
grew, he determined to try an expert
ment by soaking the corn, Ito plant
the other five acres) in coal oil. His
experiment was successful and his
fears as to the other were realized.
The bugs destroyed the 35 acres but
the five acres planted with corn soak
ed in coal oil the bugs never inter-
fered with
When your correspondent read the
article he could not believe but what
the strength of the coal oil had de-
strOyed the vitality of the grain go it
did not grow and there was nothing
for the bugs to feast upon. The more
he thought of it the more determined
he became to try soaking corn in coal
oil and plant the same to zee if it
would grow. We first soaked hand
full "a hours, planted same and every
grain came up. We next soaked a
lot 20 hours of which one third failed
to grow. We then soaked a lot for sc
hours of which every grain grew. OF
course it remains to be proven wheth-
er corn treated in this way will act
ualiy be chinch bug proof, yet, Mr..
Editor, outside of the chinch bugs
there are several points i'm favor of
soaking seed corn in coal oil. First
the wire worm, second the field mice
and third the cut worm, would not
modest the corn as the strong scent of
the oil would be distasteful to them.
We also noticed the strong scent of
the oil remains i'm the ground which
of course is the reason of keeping
insects and vermin from the
grain. These several points spoken
of mean much to the farmers of the
1t means that if q farmer soaks his
seed corn in coal oil he will not have
to go over his fields time and again
to replant what has been destroyed
by worms and mice There is anoth-
er point to be considered. Coal oil
would also destroy the smut which
adhcrs in fine minute particles to the
grain. If every farmer would soak
his seed corn, or at least a portion of
it, this spring in coal oil there would
be millions of bushels of corn and
millions of dollars saved and not near
as much profanity used cursing the
worms and bugs.
Naturally some will say your cor
is in collision with the
Oil Company. We deny
the accusation from the start as coal
oil is not water If you should take
two gallons Of oil to soak one bushel |
Of corn the loss in oil would only be
about 10 per cent and the rest is as
good for burning as before. We
advise soaking the corn from 80 to 40 |
hours, as that would give the best re-
suits, then drain the corn an hour or
20 and it will run out of any planter
Is readily as it will without soaking.
AS the oil does not soak in the grain
beyond the outside skin or bran it
iOes not swell as if soaked in water.
l could write more but will desist
md only say that the undersigned
hall soak every grain planted on our
arm. Very Truly,
G. BARTH.