Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-27
meeting and it's report

the meeting was the address OIL corn
by Professor G.. l. Clhristy, of Iowa
State College. For more than an
hour and a half Professor Christy held
the closest attention of his audience.
and gave one of the most practical ana
thoroughly sound discussions of corn
growing, in all its phases, ever dellv-
cred in this city. He also touched
briefly on the experiments at tn"
county farm last summer, with seed
furnished by farmers of the county.
His talk dealt with the ways and
means OF increasing the yield per acre,
including fertility of the land, its care
and fertilization. drainage, physical
condition, rotation of crops, etc. Pro-
fessor Christy said in part:
THE average yield of corn per acre
for the entire country is thirty-tWo
bushels, and the average price is 81
cents. The average cost of produc-
ton is $40 an acre. leaving an average
profit for the farmers of about 66 cents
to the acre. This low average yield Ia
due to lack of care in selection and
poor varieties Of seed, lack of care and
treatment of the soil, careless cullivn-
ton and neglect in rotation of the
crops. The average size of the Mar
shall county farm is 1875 acres, of which
III per cent is wholly, or partially
! lost for crop raising on account OF the
lack of proper drainage. This means
in the county 1899 acres. and q loss
in money from crops that might be
grown on 1t every year IL drained, OF
$66.645. With proper drainage this
land can be reclaimed and given an adj
Il Lar, val, tn l,n nf
$995,675. When farms were cheap the
farmer might afford to allow this land to
bring forth partial or no crop at all.
Now, with land worth 500 and 500
an acre, every portion must be cul-
tivated, or n serious loss results
Dealing with the fertility of land, he
said: I'm the eastern and southern
states 1t costs from $40 to $50 an acre
to secure commercial fertilizer but In
Iowa this expense can be avoided ii the
land is not reduced to it's lowest point
OF fertility by constant usage without
attention. The three elements of the
soil vitality essential to corn growth
are nitrogen, PHOSPHORUS and potas-
SUM. How to keep Il sufficient supply
of these elements in the soil Is the
problem. From an acre of ground
| which produces fifty bushels of corn
that corn will draw from the soil fifty
| pounds of nitrogen, eight and one half
! pounds OF PHOSPHORUS and nine and
one-half pounds Of potassium. Nitro
gen, which gives up OF itself the larg-
est per centage to- the growing corn.
| Is the most important and the average
soil of Iowa contains. upon analysts.
abouts 500 pounds to the acre. OF this
only a part is available every year, but
| II a stand of corn, averaging fifty
bushels to the acre, draws up each year
| fifty pounds of nitrogen, how long will
| 1t be before the nitrogen Is exhausted:
/! To renew the supply two ways are pos
sible, fertilization and rotation Of crops,
but fertilization with manure will not
entirely replace what has been taken
| away. The average farm manure, UNI
der analysis, shows ten pounds Of nj
trogen, two pounds of PHOSPHORUS and
ten pounds of potassium to the ton. IL
two tons are spread on each acre, and
the corn has taken up fifty pounds
there is still loss of thirty pounds
of nitrogen each year"
I'm the rotation Of crops: corn for
two years, then some small grain, then
for two years, then corn again. There
is a solution. Corn takes from the soil
nitrogen so essential to Its growth, al
falfa, COW peas and soy beans and like
| plants take nitrogen from the air and
thru their roots return 1t to the earth.
This variety Of plant is also of heavy
Vegetation and IL allowed to mature,
and the stalks and leaves are then
plowed under, 1t adds to the soil hui
mus, or vegetable mold, so essential
to keeping the earth In a healthy state.
This humus not only assists in the
growth Of corn, but 1t furnishes a sort
of binder that holds together the par
ticles Of soil and prevents the washing
of the land by rains, such as Is often
seen on hillsides. 1t also holds mois-
ture, and in sandy soils aids much 1t
retaining the -"pply Of water In the
ground, needed FOR the growth of corn"
From tests made by the school, in
each case excepting one, fall blowing
for corn has proved the best, and has
resulted in not only better corn but
larger yield. The evidence from the
| tests is not conclusive, but 1t has so
proved in the school tests made In
| twenty different counties Of the state.
Fall blowing saves delay caused by
blowing in the spring, when every
week is worth two of the fall ana
when every week means ten or flf-
teen bushels of corn to the acre. The
common objection is that the winds OF
the spring dry the plowed ground. and
the soil is drifted about This Is a
yoided by putting a disc onto the
ground Just as early as team can De
worked in the field. This loosens the
sort of crust formed in late winter, and
prevents the ground drying SO Quickly
and helps to retain the moisture
County Farm Experiments.
Professor Christy then told OF the ex-
periments at the county farm. FORTY
five different varieties were planted IN
nlots filling two rows. about eighty
rods long. The yield ran from eighty
seven bushels an acre, the highest, TO
th,rty-three bushels, the lowest me
corn Welding eighty-seven bushels hau
stand Of eighty-five stalks out OIL
POSSIBLE hundred, while that y1eloins
th;rty-three bushels had but fifty-nlne
sta,ks out of a possible one hundred.
The lots of corn were designated py
number and the number of the lot ana
tho WELD of the best and poorest HVe
varieties were as follows:
S ai ~ W. Bushels
ST
~. IS