The news-herald., 1904-01-30
CROPS ARE BIGGER.
farming on Scientific Principles
Proving Of Value.
Important Results OF Careful KAvest1-
cation by Government Experts
-GFOvth iM the C0rA
States,

Not 80 many years back 1t was the de-
light OF the granger and the para
grapher alike to poke gentle fun at the
scientific farmer" AS patron Of hus-
bandry he was alleged to be in doubt
concerning the proper time to plant en-
-silage and he was urged to invent out
Of his wisdom process for the dehorn-
Ing Of hydraulic rams, says the New
York Mail and Express.
We have heard less Of these pleasan-
tries a. the years have added proof OF
the practical advantage accruing to the
farmer from the scientific inveStiga-
tbons carried on systematically by the
government or EporAdically by the
chemist and amateur of agriculture.
The latest and most important result Of
this activity 10 briefly announced by
Prof. P. G. Holden, OF the Ames agri-
cultural college In these words: LET
every farmer In the seven great corn
states give \ few winter evenings to the
task and 4S0,OO0,0O0 bushels will be
added to the annual crop Of the corn
belt"
H
crease Of the 4S,0000,00 acres in the
seven states which grew each over 100,-
00O, 900 bushels Of corn In 1902-namely,
Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Mis-
souri, Indiana and OhiO-he does not
propose any form or method of ART. -cial
culture; he simply assures results to the
farmer who will plant 100 "live" ker-
nels Of corn In every 80 hills. Very sim
pie, yet altogether new, the farmers
throughout Iowa have listened to this
advice, and they are reported as being
convinced that for orce professor in
an agricultural college has q reform
that Is thoroughly practical.
To and out how much the farmers Of
the state were annually losing by not
planting corn properly, Prof. Holden
last year sent 1000 letters to all parts
of Iowa asking the number Of stalks in
each hill in cornfelds. He found that
the stand" was but 75 per cent. of what
he had demonstrated will produce the
largest yield. In making his tables he
counted either three or four stalks as
a 100 per cent stand. For ten years the
average yield Of corn in Iowa has been
approximately 35 bushels to the acre.
Such a yield with 10 per cent stand,
the average in q number Of years, would
become so bushels with 100 per cent.
stand
Prof. Holden put his theory to the
test last year. planting several thou
sand acres with seed sorted by hand and
through planters carefully adjusted %
drop the proper number OF kernels.
Previously the best yield was So bushels
an acre. Last year the average yield
WAS 72 bushels. OF the gain, so per cent.
is estimated to be due to the stand and
20 per cent. to the superior terminating
power OF the seed. In the experimental
fields under Prof HoIden's control the
yield has never been less than 90 BUSH
els an acre since 1896.
There ig something nns anG tangible
in this; something to awaken the sd
miration Of the hornyhanded son Of
toll, who may still distrust the learning
of the soil physicist, but whose common
sense is alive to the fact that it pays to
sit up a few winter nights and sort
grains of corn, when, II done every
where In the belt, the result will add
480.000,000 bushels to the crop, or, about
$144, 100000 70 tho farmers bank ae-
count.