The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-12-27
Why Prof. P. G. Holden is
Worth Millions in Iowa.
AN UNPRECEDENTED CROP
Through Corn Raising Experts Advice
the Yield Has Been Increased 1907
100000 Bushels Over Last
Years Yield.

The state of Iowa has been paying
$1,000 a year for the last two years to
a man who IN the last twelve months
has earned S10,000.000, says a special
dispatch from Sioux City, Ia, TO the
New York Herald. Ills name Is Pro
fessor r. g Holden. He Il an agrono-
mist.
Iowa farmers laughed at the idea of
a man with such a title trying to teach
them, the best corn growers in the
world anything about the art Of rails
ing corn. But they do not laugh now,
Instead they flock by the hundreds to
hear Professor Holden talk, and they
60 away and do exactly as he tells
them. AS a result in large part of fol
lowing his advice they have raised
about 100,O00,000 bushels more corn
this year than in any year Of this cen
tury, and they expect to add another
10o000000 bushels to their crop next
year
Professor Holden became an agrono.
mist that is, an expert in grain rails
ing by accident When he taught
school in Michigan he got up corn
growing contest among his pupils. He
induced the boys to pick out the ear
Hest, biggest and most perfect ears
from the fields, save them and plant
from them the best and most perfect
kernels The result, aided BY scientific
methods of cultivation, was that the
boys raised more corn on their little
patches than anybody had ever dream
ed Of.
Professor Holden worked on his sys-
TEN until it was perfected. His fame
spread and the Funk brothers. who
owned a $1,000 acre farm in Illinois,
offered him a big salary to run it. He
planted 10000 acres Of corn a year for
them and added to their yield more
than 10000 bushels the first year. The
state Of Iowa thought he was a good
thing and engaged him to occupy the
chair Of agronomy in the Iowa Agrl-
cultural college in Ames, The chair
was created especially for him.
Professor Holden made the farmers
believe after time that he knew
more about corn raising than they did
lie travelled All over the state IN spe
cial trains last spring and winter max
ing stall end" speeches and getting
better crowds than any vice presiden-
tial candidate saw later in the season.
He told the farmers how to select
their seed corn, how to plant and cul-
tivate IT. and on what sort Of ground
to plant different sorts Of corn and
how 70 handle it under different con-
ditions.
Iowa had not been raising good corn
crops for several years. The farmers
were discouraged. Iowa was in dan
ger of losing her place as the first corn
state, and realization of this fact led
to the engagement Of Professor HoI
den in the agricultural college.
Professor Holden invites farmers to
20 to Ames In the winter and attend
his school Of seed corn selection and
termination. They go by hundreds.
and each returns an apostle Of the inn
provement idea The professor goes
'.tail ending" through the state early
In the spring. This year be Travelled
several thousand miles, the railroads
furnishing him free trains and adver-
Using his trips,
The results are read in the crop re-
ports on Iowa's corn yield this year.
The average crop Of Iowa corn for
1904 is forty bushels to the acre. For
nine years it has been twenty-seven
and one-half bushels. This years crop
will aggregate 350,000,ooo bushels,
about 125, 100000 more than last years
yield, The crop IL worth about $780,
100000 more than a year ago, and
| Professor Holden is universally credit
ed with a third interest in the extra
yield
Evidence in the professors favor Is
overwhelming The counties in which
he made speeches did better than the
others. Those in which he had the
largest audiences did best Of all. There
are fields. worked under careful APP
pllcation of his methods, which have
produced more than hundred bushels
to the acre. Those with so bushels are
frequent, and 65 bushels Is common
yield
Every farmer Is reading Holden lit
erature this fall, selecting his earliest
and best ears Of corn for seed, testing
| its terminating qualities, preparing
his soil according to Professor Holden's
directions and getting ready to break
all records next year 1t is estimated
that there viii be q 10 per cent increase
| in the corn acreage next season, and
the farmers propose to make 1t aver
age so bushels to the acre. Great prep
arauons are making for farmers In
stitutes In every county, which VIII be
addressed by Professor Holden when
he can attend, and otherwise By grad
yates OF his school.
TroIIeys In Japan.
EIactrfc RAILWAYS ara getting to be