Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1902-07-12
Corn in Washington

80 N@9tNih " aSiAii 3 SOh. " hAA~ ~
is conceded that in favored localities
it can be brought to the fodder stage,
aud even ripened sufficiently for fill
ing silos, there there have been
many doubts as to further possibili-
ties. Here and there, however, we
find men who have persisted III try
ing TO raise this greatest of all GER
eals for stock feeding purposes, and
who still have faith in ultimately
succeeding. There is no doubt that
conditions are largely against corn
growing on anything like a large
scale on any Of the lands now so
completely given over to wheat
growing, nor can we ever hope TO
compete with the state where the
plant grows to such perfection, but
that corn can not be proftably grown
in this favored region is not settl-
ed fact.
The Washington experiment sta
ton has not done very much along
the line of testing the corn plant,
but the work that has been done
leads us to believe that we may yet
be producing a sufficient yield per
acre to justify farmers and stock.
growers in planting a moderate
acreage for feeding purposes. The
real value of any crop is determined
by its power to return profit to the
grower. While it can easily be
demonstrated that corn can be grown
and even brought to maturity, it
still remains to be shown that it
would pay in large way. Wonder
fulresults have been secured through
efforts to adapt various plants to re-
gions not we'll suited to their growth.
Corn is now grown fully 200 miles
farther north than it was 40 years
ago, and the hardness and vitality
have been greatly increased. That
we may yet produce, by selection or
crossing new varieties suited to this
Palouse region is we'll within the
range of possibilities.
We have been growing corn on the
experiment station for many years.
The crop has always been cut and
packed i'll the silo or fed from the
shock. Yields of green fodder rang
ing from six to ten tons per acre
have always been secured, and there
is no record of any failure in the
growth of the crop. Heretofore no
effort has been made to mature seed
until last year, when "a varieties Sc
cured from different parts of the
eastern states, were grown, in the
hope that some grown seed could be
secured. All of these were planted
late III May, on ground that had a
southern slope. Being planted pri-
marily for the silo, it was too thick
Tor the best results, but over most of
the field good ears were produced.
Ot the % varities none failed to ma
ture seed; in fact, some Of the dwarf
kinds secured from far north ripened
several weeks before any frosts APP
peared. All of these were dropped
from the list, the growth of both
stalk and grain being too limited to
limited to justify its cultivation.
Fourteen of the most promising
varltles were selected and seed was
carefully saved. None of it was
Kiln dried, as might save been done,
but was merely hung in an airy
room throughout the winter, and
subjected to the lowest temperatures
OF the season. Recently ger1nina-
uon test of this seed was made by
H. +. Blanchard of the present SEN
ior class, with the following results:
Two hundred of each variety were
taken from each variety, half of the
grams being from the tips of the