Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-18

! qGeSt1uAaDiy there VIII DC d ohiASASiA~S
in the yield and in the general appear
ance of the corn at picking time, so
that Ii would require only common
sense to select seed from the row that
produced the largest number OF typ
ical ears. In this way foundation
may be laid for a better strain OF corn,
and If the same experiment is conduct
ed year after year it will only be mat
ter of time until the yielding ability 81
ones corn has been greatly increasei.
While there are those who treat Sucn
methods as the one outlined above ds
being theoretical, yet, after all, the
question is intensely practicable, Tor
the simple reason that it is possible TO
increase the yield of the average var
ety of corn all the way from 20 to loo
Ger cent We call attention to the
matter at this time In the hope that
many of our readers will go to the
trouble to perform this little expert
ment this year 1t simply involves the
selection of few of the best ears, these
to be planted in the regular corn fell.
but planted in such way as to keep
the seed from individual ears separate.
1t is the quickest, surest, and most
scientific method of improving the corn
crop.-Ex.
Egg coIoring.
O. w Mapes, "the hen man." writ
ing to the Rural New Yorker on the
influence of the food of a hen upon
the color of egg yolks, states that
wheat fed alone produced pale colored
yolks The question of how food af-
fects the eggs is an interesting one to
al, users of hen fruit" Confirmatory
&C Mr.. Mapes assertion he quotes the
report of some experiments at the
West Virginia experiment station, IN
stituted primarily to see whether the
flavor of the eggs would be affected by
celery oil, oil of sassafras, dried her
ring, etc ".Quite contrary to expecta-
tions the flavor of the egg was not no.
ticeably affected by any of the rations
or ,Gavoring materials employed, altho
il has been shown by Investigations at
the North Carolina station that the
feeding of onions imparts very dis
tinct and undesirable flavor. The DIFF
ferent rations very clearly affected the
color of the yolks When the grain RAJ
ton consisted of wheat. oats or white
corn, fed either alone or in combina-
ton with each other, the yolks were
so light -colored that the eggs would
he. quite unsuitable for fancy trade.
When the grain consisted entirely Of
white corn the yolks were very light
colored. while on the other hand the
feeding of yellow corn impaired to the
yolks that rich yellow color which is SO
desirable There facts" continues Mr..
Mapes. seem to give black eye to the
banner flock of the Cornell Agricultural
Experiment Station Bulletin 212. which
was fed no grain except wheat. We
hardly want to produce eggs that will
not grade as extra No. 1. I'm 1894, soon
after I began keeping a hen dairy, I
sold my eggs to the Sheffield Farms
Company at so per cent premium above
the nlarket~ austa tons. ore CT the -hess
sales ever made. All went we'll for
time they taking all my product right
thru the flush season. In the fall got
notice not to ship any more. The only
excuse I was ever able to get out OF
them was that the eggs did not suit
their customers. 1t SO happened THAI
about that time time the price of wheat
dropped so that 1t cost no more per
pound than corn, and / had bought
carload on purpose for my hens. think
ing l was doing fine thing to substi-
tute wheat to the entire exclusion of
corn. now have no doubt but that
the dissatisfaction among their GUS
toners was caused by the pale yolks
produced by an exclusive grain diet of
wheat There certainly had been no
relaxation of effort on my part to get
them into market in as nearly a per-
feet condition as possible after the hens
turned them over to my care. On page
1872 the Rural New Yorker says that
1T is not all in the feed. We have had
hens that persisted In laying light
colored eggs in spite of corn-feeding.
The editor does not say whether this
ecorn-feeding' was from yellow corn,
white corn or sweet corn. TT was yell
low corn.-Eds.] We all know that the
milk of some cows naturally makes
colored butter than that of 9TH