The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-09
FARM,

tIAs NltllphA AAGSt4bAi IL - SlNNA II Az
every state and territory and in the
islands adjacent thereto. There is
hardly a farm in all this broad land
where corn more or less is not grown
whether the outcome shows any pro-
At or not,
Twenty-Five years back the total
area devoted to corn in this country
amounted to $4,000, 900 acres. Now
the acreage has run up to nearly l0O,-
600 600 the aggregate crop from which
averages about two and a half billions
of bushels with a market value when
stored OF something over a billion of
dollars.
1t is easily demontrated that as
grown in our Southern states it is one
of the least profitable crops that can
be grown, 1t has happened though
that on account of our negro popula-
ton, corn has a greater intrinsic value
in the South than in other sections.
1t is valued more as human food. The
1900, 900 of acres devoted to corn grow
ing in Georgia, produces usually about
$4,000 900 bushels of corn which is
nine bushels per acre. worth on the
farm when gathered in from As to rs
cents per bushel. according as the
yield is good or poor. At anything
approaching this production per acre
and value per bushel, corn certainly
cannot be a profitable crop-a crop
that a farmer could afford to produce
for market. When we allow for what
It costs 10 cultivate an acre in corn,
and counting everything that should
be charged in the bill of expense, we
will find that when we have gather
ed ten bushels of corn valued at IS 90
very little if anything has been made
in the venture.
There are any number of small farm
ers in Georgia to-day who in plant
ing their quota of twenty acres in
corn. place their expectations no high
er than as aggregate yield Of 200 bush
els. They are satisfied with this crop
valuing It, as intrinsically worth to
them on the farm, at 90 per BUSH
ell though probably II would not bring
more than half that il forced upon
the market. Buyers of corn including
even farmers, seem TO prefer to buy
of merchant, imported sheled corn
IN two bushel bags. and pay 81 90
per bushel for it, rather than buy the
farmers corn on the ear at 25 to 80
cents less per bushel. than he paid
the merchant. Why is this?
Though very unwise, corn is still re-
garded by Southern farmers as the
best and cheapest food for work ami
mals-mules and horses. For one
farmer who values oats and barley
for this purpose and grow these super
Tor grains accordingly there are a
hundred who cling to the old time idea
that corn is the cheapest, and the
best by all odds.
Fifty years ago the ideal feed for
work mule or driving horse was
six to ten ears of corn and two bun
dies of fodder (cured blades of CORN
three time a day. The number of ears
varied a little according to size of
ears, and of the animal. The same
practice applies to-day among farmers
though more hay and less fodder"
is made and used nowadays. 1t is
mostly these owners of animals, not
engaged in farming, who use other
than corn as a regular feed. Geor-
gia farmers do not raise enough oats
TO supply the demand from this class
of consumers. Farmers in Tennessee,
Missouri and Texas are called upon to
do it. 1t does seem like Georgia
farmers might, having no freight to
pay, compete with those of Texas in
meeting this steadily increasing de-
mand for a cheaply and easily grown
grain. so much better adapted for
stock FOOD than corn. In this respect
we have exaggerated the value of
corn and deprecated that of oats, and
barley. The latter are, under all con-
ditions. a perfectly safe food which
cannot be said of the former. The in
Judieious feeding of corn has caused
the death of thousands of horses and
mules and hogs
The New England farmer on his
rocky long-used soil. makes thirty to
forty bushels of corn per acre, where
we make ten to twelve. our soil
is just as capable for making the
larger crop as his is il we took the
same pains as he does
The New England farmer takes the
time to prepare the soil properly He
uses only good seeds. and has a
sufhciency of stalks to produce the
thirty or forty bushels. In these re-
speets we are greatly at fault. We
use any kind of seeds that come to
hand. and hold to the oid-time, err
roneous idea that $500, or at most
5000 stalks per acre-these many
stalks good and bad-constitute a full
and perfect stand
Now there was a time once when
our soil was fresh and full of humus
when this number OF stalks on an
acre would produce a much larger
crop of corn than they are able 10
do now, after long years of cultivation
and deterioration OF the soil. When
corn rows are made six feet apart
and stalk allowed to stand two
feet apart in the row-the distance
allowed by most corn growers-there
would be less than $500 stalks on an
acre. To produce a crop Of fifteen
bushels IL would he necessary that
every 161 stalks should average a
bushel of shelled corn. OF course, any
farmer would say that it was poor
corn that wouldn't come up to this
average when he knows that 100 good
ears Of Southern flint or gourd seed
corn will shell out a bushel. It is
rather poor corn where 1875 ears will
not shell out q bushel
If il takes 100 hills to make a bush
el of corn ii shows that either the
ears are very small or that there are
a great many infertile or abortive
stalks, or that the stand is very poor.
II may depend simply on one or the
other of these causes. but usually the
poor yield is the result of a combina-
ton more or less OF all
Why 100 hills should produce only
bushel of corn, is the result usual
ly of the large number of infertiie
or abortive stalks that produce no corn
at all, and are common to rich as
well as to poor soil.
The grain Of corn from which the
stalk grew, had lost its vigor, and
was incapable of reproducing itself.
This is due to the repeated use Of in