The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-05
DoUpLrNo rHr CORN cRor.

4
 The Kansas City Journal calls atten- ton to . recent report made by Mir. A. D. shamel. who has charge of the Agricui- tural Experiment. station of Illinois, and which is of unusual interest, not only to farmers of the United states, but to the people of the world at large. because it deals with the question of food supply. than which no subject is of much greater importance.
 The vital point of MT. Shameps report is that "the yield of corn in any field may be doubled by a proper application of the corn-breading system" This sys- tenn is exactly on the same principle that animals and fowls. can be improved by a proper system of breeding. It is also we'll known that almost all domestic fruits are improved by careful attention to selection and cultivation, and the same the,- has been proven correct with es- pecial regard to the yield of corn. While the grain as well as the stalks and fod- der are all better under this system the greatest gain Is in the product. This comes about by careful selection for planting of none but the best seed, and this has been kept up until the most gratifying results have been obtained. MT. shamel thus reports one case.
 . One Southern Illinois farmer. more pro- gressive than the rest, was induced to procure enough improved seed to plant 200 acres as . result of his study of corn in xl- nf Acrfr,rlfnrn These 300 acres outyielded all of the other fields on his farm by more than thirty bushels to the acre; and, so far as coud be de- termined. the fields of that entire sec- ton yielded about thirty bushels per acre. The increase in yield meant a total gain of 5000 bushels, which represented cash value of about $4.00o for that season. As this increase did not represent the increased cost in production, the gain was pure profit.
 Aseis we'll known, the food supply of | the future is one of the serious prob- | lems of the age. It Is really a problem of the present, for we are continually | reading of famine and suffering in va-
 rious portions of the world, but 1t looms up as a menace to human life in the not | distant future. The increase of popuia- ton, and the fact that most of the cul- tivable land of the earth is already In use, and that much of the old land has decreased in productiveness, all threaten
 serious consequences for those who live a
 few generations hence. The corn crop
 of the United States is enormous. al-
 ready. but if 1t can be doubled by the
 methods alluded to by MT. Shamel it will go far to solve the food problem. The people of the old world are not as yet
 taking kindly or readily to maize as 8
 food. but necessity will drive them to it.
 and to America they must turn for relief | from starvation.
 l It may be that some of the anticipa.
 tions of MT. Shamel may not be realized
 and 1t is certain that not all farmers car
 or will succeed as some will do, but we
 may hope that there will be many oi them who will take advantage of the in- formation afforded in the experiments al
 luded to. not only in the great corn re- gions of the West. but in all other parts of the country. Then will there be ''bread to the eater'' in fact as well as in theory