The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-12
WEALTH FOR FARMERS
pR0E. HoLDEN's NEW IDEA ABOUT HOW TO PLANT CORN.
If Adopted He Estimates That It win Add 4So, ,ooo, 900 Bushels to the Crop of Corn Belt--And It
 Would Require Only Few
 Winter Evenings Work.

Sioux City. la, Aug. io.-..Let every farmer in the seven great corn States give a few Winter evenings and 4eo GOO. GOO bushels will be added to the annual crop of the corn belt.'' In these words Prof. P. c. Holden of the Arnes Agricultural College summarizes the re- BuIts to be expected of the campaign instituted by himself and the Iowa Corn Growers Asso- riation
 It isn't increased acreage that Professor TIol- den wants: it is better results from the present acreage. It is not by any artificial culture that he would bring about these results He prom ises that they shall be realized If the farmer does the simple thing of putting hundred live kernels of corn In every thirty hills.
 Entirely new in agriculture is the experi- mental work of Professor Holden. and through out Iowa he has convinced meetings of farm CTS that for once a professor in an agricultural i college has reform that is thoroughly prac- tical. In 6 word. his plan requires only the sorting by hand of seed corn and the filling of plates in corn planters in such way to drop the required number of grains of corn in each hill.
 To find how much the farmers of Iowa are losing each year by not properly planting corn. Professor Holden last year sent 1000 letters to all parts of Iowa asking the number of stalks In each hill in corn fields. He found that the stand was but 76 per cent of what he has demonstrated will produce the largest yield. and last years corn crop was generally considered good stand. The other day he himself inspected twenty-four of the best corn fields he could find.
 T found'' he reported 10 a meeting of the Iowa Corn Growers Association in Sioux City. from 3e to a6.2 per cent. of perfect stand. The average loss was 2S.7 per cent.
 q do not mean by this that the field that has i've stalks in each hill is better than one with four and that hills of six stalks are bet ter thSn hills of five I have found that the best results are obtained from an average oi about three and a third stalks to hill.
 T have found one stalk in hill will produce but one-third as much corn as a proper num- Der of stalks. two stalks three-fourths of q yield and five stalks three-fourths of yield. Tn making my tables counted either three or four stalks 100 per cent. stand.
 For ten years the average yield of corn in Iowa has been approximately 35 bushels A yield of thirty-five bushels with 70 peI cent stand, which is the average found in a number of years. would become hfty busheli with a 100 per cent stand.
 The acreage planted in corn in the seven States growing over 100. ooo, 900 bushels oi corn in 1902 was: Illinois. 9.623.6So Iowa e,so2. 6e9: Nebraska 7,sl7,962; Kansas. 7,' 4SI .693; Missouri, 6775, 96; Indiana. 4,o2O'' o37; Ohio, 3, 200. 224.
 The combined acreage was about 45 900 900 gain of ten bushels an acre. or 90 pei cent. stand, which Professor Holden thinks Il easily attainable would meaf an increase IT the annual yield of these StatS of 4so, 900, ooC bushels. A.
 On the big Funk farm at Bloomington, Ill. Professor Holden's theory was carried out las year. Several thousand acres were piautet with seed sorted by hand. through planter adjusted to drop the proper number of kernels
 Previously. the best yield was 56 bushels al acre. Last year the average was T2 bushels Of the gain, Professor Holden estimates SS per cent was due to the stand and 20 pc cent to the excellent germinating power of tn seed In the experimental fields under Pro lessor Holden's control the yield has neve been less than 60 bushels since 1896
 The owner of 4.ooo acres of corn ground a oldebolt, Ia. this Spring bought six corn plant ers and put them to work hurriedly He ha examined his field and found stand of 3i stalks to each hill. He estimates his loss a S2O. .0o0 He has told that hereafter he vii pIant according to the Holden method.
 JAW, that isn't practical" objected farme fin one of Professor Holden's meetings. ''rh idea of my sorting grains of corn by hand I have something better to do"
 ''An right answered Professor Holden eve will say that you have the work done b a man to whom you pay S2 a day He wi sort at least a bushel of shelled corn ever day.
 '1Fhat busheI win plant seven acres ground. The fact that 1t has been sorted VI add at least ten bushels to the acre yield. 4 an average price Of o1eents a bushel ths would mean a return of SC! for the S2 yo invested in having the corn sorted
 But you can do it as well on winter ever ings when, it Will have cost you nothing.