The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-05-23
THE MARvELs OF CORN CULTURE
BY A. D. sHAMEL, OF THE ILLINOIS EXPERIMENT
STATION.
The Cosmopolitan, for May, 1903.

BY A. D. sHAMEL, OF THE ILLINOIS EXPERIMENT
STATION.
The Cosmopolitan, for Nay, 1903.
The marvellous possibilities of scien-
tifc corn-culture have been, until re-
Gently, unknown to the average far
mer, but corn-improvement has begun
to attract the attention of the busi-
nesslike grower. Up to this time,
little attention has been given to its
development, yet enough has been ac-
complished to show the wonderful op-
portunities in such work. Corn is
crop possessed of so many valuable
qualities that if it were introduced for
the first time through seed cata-
logue, we would not believe state
ment of its yield per acre, its value as
a feed, and the number of products
made from the STALK and ear.
Indian corn was introduced into the
United States from Mexico, the ma
tive home of the plant. When Chris
topher Columbus discovered America,
he found Indian corn the principal
article of human food among the In
dians. During the rigorous winters
that followed the settlement of Vir-
ginia and other colonies, corn-m meal
nush and corn bread saved the early
settlers from starving. 1t was at this
time that the Indians produced their
largest crops of corn. One store
house, destroyed by the English SOL
dlers, was estimated to contain over
one hundred thousand bushels. How
ever, the total area of corn-felds in
the country now included in the Uni
ted States was not equal to that of
son.
From the time of the crude methods
of cultivation of corn by the settlers
of our colonies until the middle of
the last century, no attempt was made
to Systematically increase the yield
per acre, or to improve the quality.
In few isolated cases there is a rec
ord of some man, tmore progressive
than his neighbors, who selected his
seed with special care. One of these
men was J. S. Leaning, of Whining
ton, Ohio. He grew yellow varie-
iy, which, by the selection of the best
ears for seed, was so changed and i'm
proved that it became very generally
grown in the southern part of Ohio.
Some of the Illinois settlers from
that neighborhood brought this
strain, called the Leaning" to Illi-
nois. On the rich prairie soils, it
rapidly developed in size, weight and
yielding qualities. The difference in
soil and climate have produced such
marked variation in the type that
many strains have been secured and
developed from this source. In fact,
this type is the foundation of the
many varieties of yellow corn now
marketed in Illinois.
Another pioneer in this work was
James Riley, of Thorntown, Indiana,
a successful stock k-breeder, who ap-
piled to the improvement of his corn
the same principles that he used in
the development of his animals. He
produced white variety, which he
called the "Boone County White" "
This variety was such an improve
ment on the ordinary white corn of
the Mississippi Valley that it has be-
come the leading strain of white corn.
From this type, many other varieties
have been developed, through the in
fuences of environment, in the wide
ly different conditions of soil and eli
mate, and by the selection of seed.
Most varieties of corn have been
produced by the corn breeders
through selection of seed toward some
definite type. They are the result of
very careful selection of seed from
the ordinary white or yellow corn of
the community in which the corn
specialist lived. By selecting seed
for deep kernals, small cobs and we'll
filled tips or butts, for a number of
years, a change is made, in the char
acteristics of the corn, which is uni
form in the crop. This change is
the result, in the first place, of varia-
ton, due to difference in soil and eli
mate, the fertilization of the seed,
cultivation of other causes connected
with the growth of the plant. In the
the second place, the variation is fix
ed by selection of seed having the
characteristics to be desired, and the
discarding of their regular types. To
this changed type, the corn breeder
has applied some distinctive name.
The Illinois Seed Corn Breeders AS
sociation recognizes seven breeds OF
corn -four of yellow; namely,
Leaning" "Reid's Yellow Dent. y
Golden Eagle" and "Riley's Favor
ite - and three of white; namely,
Boone County White" "SilveI
Mine" and "White Superior"
This value of special attention tc
the selection of seed, in the develop
ment of varieties, is illustrated in the
tests made by the Illinois Experiment
Station The results of comparison
of the yields per acre, of the improved
and unimproved types, show that the
improved varieties have outyieldec
the unimproved, or ordinary corn
year after year. All of the varietie.