The progress., 1904-08-27

CORN CROP AND rs NEEDS
Al Interesting Article On the Great-
eat Of Osr Cereal Crops ~ .
Professional Expert.

~s-K
Indian corn Is the greatest Of our
cereal crops used for the feeding OF
cattle and hogs and the food Of man
kind combined, and it's Importance to
the farmers in all parts Of the country
can hardly be over-estimated. And yet
there is no crop that varies 70 much in
production per acre. Though one soil
expert will make us believe that all
soils have the same average amount
Of soluble plant food, there is no doubt
that the wide-stretching roots Of the
corn plant find more food irl some soils
than in others, no matter how careful
ly they are cultivated nor how well
watered, and the farmer who neglects
to accumulate more plant food in his
soil, usually finds that his corn crop
shows the effects of his bad treatment
sooner than any other. Much has been
said and written of late in regard to
the improvement of corn by selection
Of seed, and there rs no doubt that by
proper breeding the corn crop can be
greatly increased independently Of the
Improvement Of the soil. Bat both
should 60 hand in land. Most Of the
so-called corn breeders give q great
deal OF attention to the character of
the ear and grain, and these are i'm
portant points. But the breeding
that looks simply to the i'm
provement Of single feature of the
plant can never be as successful as one
that takes the whole plant into con-
sideration. In breeding corn one must
know what his particular section needs.
II he is in a region of short seasons
and early frosts. he must take earli-
ness of the plant into serious consid-
Grafton, as well as its productiveness.
If he is in the south. where he has
time enough to mature any variety Of
corn, he need give attention only to the
character Of the plant and its produc-
tiveness. In the south the farmers
have for generations been breeding
simply for the biggest ears. They have
gotten the big ear, and only one
stalk and that, on strong land, up out
Of a mans reach, and such tall
growth that it seems necessary to plant
the crop wide apart. The result Is
that single stalks six feet apart, with
a single ear at best on them and some
with none at all, make 1t impossible to
get large crop. The breeding then
that is needed in the south is breeding
for more dwarf and sturdy plant and
one that uniformly carries two ears or
more. The editor Of one of our farm |
papers recently told an inquirer who |
wanted to known how 10 overcome the !
tendency of corn in the south to grow
SO tall, that it was a. climate effect
which no breeding could overcome But
right here, in the south, it has been
overcome and we have a corn that
bears uniformly two or more ears near
the ground and of stature that admits |
Of its being planted nearly as closely |
as In the north, and which on sandy |
uplands has made So bushels Of corn
per acre, while the ordinary corn per
around it on similar land made about |
ten to fifteen bushels. In breeding |
corn, we must form in mind an ideal |
Of the plant we want TO produce and
breed towards it year after year, for |
the result can not be had in a single |
season. Then We want to remove dis
tilrbing influences. In hundreds of |
fields we see nearly one-third of the !!
stalks without any ear. These barren |
stalks are the strongest males in the /
field and, il allowed 10 ripen pollen, |
will make more and :upre barren stalks |
he next seasons. Cut out the tasselS |
from such as soon as they show, ther |
select the stalks that bear two ears |
and to get the plants down to more
lwarf and sturdy character. Use for |
l time only the lower ear for seed; it |
will not be the best ear, but it will have
/ tendency to get nearer the ground
Ind to beat the ear above it. When you
nave the ideal plant then will be time
enough to select the best ears. Corn
S always best when bred in the section
where it is to be planted, and seed
brought from far north or south OF any |
ocality must always be acclimated be-
ore it will adapt itself 10 the new con-
litions and do its best.
Having the ideal corn plant, the
1ext important thing is the production
If big crops is the preparation Of the
and and the feeding of the crop. The
,ne-horse plow has been the cause of
more poor crops in the south than any
me other thing. The gullies in our hills
rave been largely due to the scratch
blowing of the past. The shallow plow-
ID soils fills with water and runs off
IN the hard soil below and a gully is
tarted and is annually enlarged by the
rosts of winter. We need deeper break
ng of the soil to enable 1t to hold more
water for the crop and to withstand
lroughts and to prevent washing. But
Ifter we have this soil deeply. plowed
md we'll prepared, We do not want to
low in the corn field afterwards. Lay
rg by" corn with a turning plow and
big furrow is responsible for much Of
he short crop and also for the washing
# the land, for the water collects in
he deep furrows till head forms and
,reaks over and down the hill the
This would not happen II the crop was
cultivated shallowly and fat so. as to
Orm no furrows for the water to ac-
umulat In. Then the deep plowing
uts the corn roots and damages the
rop. and also dries out the land by
urning it up to the sun, and the crop
uffers from drought. But no matter
low we'll the land is plowed nor how
arefully it is cultivated, II the plant
ood is not there in an available form
he crop will not be as large as it !
hould be. What is most needed in the
outh is farming. as distinguished from
he old-time planting. Corn after corn,
otton after cotton, one crop continual
v, will never restore the fertility of
ur lands. no matter how much fer
ilizer or what brand we use.. We need
0 adopt a rotation of crops that will