The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-14
"CORR GOSPEL TRAIN
Professor FIoiden's Plan OF Work
Among Iowa Farmers.
SIMPLE LESSON N GOOD FARMING

Railroads Of the state Provided
Special Trains-Lectures Delivered
ana Practical Recommendations Made
From Rear End Platforins--Greates
Beneat Derived From object Les
sons a. 10 Good and HAD seeds.
The following is taken from an arti
Gle entitled = Corn Gospel Train, By
T. e. Moorehead, Ia the Worlds Work
for June:
Corn is our greatest crop. Iowa pro
duees more corn than any other state
or country III the world, but ifs yield
did not satisfy Mr. T. q Holden, pro
fessor Of agronomy at the Iowa State
Agricultural college Ia 1902 the aver
age Yield for each acre was thirty-four
bushels In 1868 the average yield was
thirty-ole bushels. Professor Holden
said Why, with good weather, should
the high yield not only De maintained,
but inereasea@ An increase OF only
one hushel an acre, using last years
crop as basis. would mean an increase
for 1904 of 7.39S.200 bushels, worth
S2,G60.s93.20 at market price hast De
eember
Professor Holden began % expert
ment with corn from Iowa and other
corn producing states. After year
of planting and growing he found
that with proper seen corn ana right
planting the yield Increased. These
scientific tests, made no the state ex-
perimental station, showed that the IN
crease would range from five to ten
bushels per acre for the fertile fields
and from two to five bushels per acre
for the less favored soil, The secret
Of the desired increase, therefore, was
III the education Of the corn growers.
Convinced Of this fact, lie continued
his experiments and his comparisons.
Iii 1903 Green and Winnebago c0un-
ties had the poorest average Of pro
ductlyity to the acre twenty bushels
vet the year before Green county
had produced thirty-one bushels to the
acre and Winnebago county thirty
bushels. It was a significant change
Iowa produces more than one sew
enth Of all the corn grown In the
United States. Professor Holden be
lieyed THAT Iowa could produce millions
more bushels Of corn than any othef
state without exhausting the soil, He
showed the Iowa State Agricultural
college students how to select the prop
al seed corn ana how 70 plant 1T but
the students were only d small pro
portion Of the vast number Of corn
growers Id tile state II his scientific
experiments were TO be OF value they
must he generally known
Professor Holden established corn
Judging contests at the state fair an
nuaily held Ill Des M0ines. scholar
ships ii the state Agricultural college
were offered as prizes q the Farm lads,
within certain ages. who brought from
their homes the best ears of corn and
gave their reasons for tie selection,
together with Information as 70 select
Ing and planting seed corn Tile ean
tests quickly grew IN favor, but the
work I'D net reach The great body of
farmers throughout tile state.
Professor Holden then explained bis
crop increase plan ta tue leading
freight carFxlng roaas traVerssng lie
state AT frst they doubted, lien Be
came interested aal finally entered Id
to tie proposition enthusiastically
Tie Chicago Rock Island aad Pacific
RAILWAY was Tie FIRST Is otter d sleelai
train and q guarantee tie expenses Of
tie trip Tie offer was accepted hy
Professor Holden.
The corn gospel train. Is Il was
called. started III central Iowa, and ID
was run on time table schedule Two
weeks before Tie train started the list
.of an starting places ana the schedule
time Of ARRIVAL there We're announced
on handbllls ana by notices sent by
the rural free delivery Of mail to every
farmer fl territory contiguous to the
Rock Island houte Half hour stops
were made for every town Professor
Holden was accompanied by Profess
ar Sage and his assistants, railway
officials ana newspaper representa-,
lives.
Attached to the special train was u
large audience car. ana III this Pro
fessor Holden lectured to the farmers
who met him at every station. When
the crowd was too large for the car,
overflow meetings were held on the
station platforms Frequently the as-
sistants would be called upon to re-
peat the message 70 those on the out
skirts OF the crowd who could not hear
Professor Holden The average att
tendance ait the stations was 100
When a twenty minute address was
completed, Professor Holden conducted
d short question parliament specimens
af good and bad seed corn were ey-
hibited. and with last farewell and
cheer from the farmers, the train
departed for the next station
AT the end Of the third day Of the
trip $50 miles had been Travelled fifty
stations visited. sixty lectures deliv
cred. aggregating eighteen hours Of
taAlng fifteen Iowa counties had been
crossed and the message OF proper
lplantlng carried 70 the tlIlers Of
100000 acres If Iowa farm land 81
which fully nethird Is devoted 10
/ corn growing