Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-18
THE sEED-coRN SPECIAL.
Unique Work of instruction Carried on
by Western Railroads.

fan the most valuable years product OF
anything ever produced by amy single
country at any time in the worlds his
tory The United States as a nation
might lie called the Kingdom Of Corn
both because Indian commemorative?
no other country produces in grca-
quantitieS--iS its most valuable ma =
tcrial asset. ana because the men who
produce corn are more typically Amer
lean than any other element of our
population.
The magnitude of the corn growing
interests can hardly be ovcrcstimatcd.
| OF the 292S7,010 Inhabitants of the
United States engaged in gaintul occu-
lations in 1900, 10,43S2l9 we're en-
gagged in agriculture rs compared with
only 7,112,304 in manufacturing ami
mechanical pursuits; and large pro-
portion OF these raise more or less of
the various kinds of corn. The most
extensive manufactures in this country
are those Of iron and steel products.
The United States Steel Company The
largest Industrial combination in the
world. with Il capital of Il billion and i
falf. controls only from s. to - per
cent. Of the annual output Of iron and
steel manufactures in the United
States. The census of 1900 gave this
total annual product Il value of $685.
96S.21.,. Yet i'll face Of the SpcCtacu-
Err existence of It corporation capital
lied 1T sl.400, 100000 and of mighty
blast furnaces and rolling mills. the
farmers Of this country the same year
quietly working each one for himself
- 49,, =.
combinations. produced crop of corn
valued ut $S2S,2JS.326, twenty-five mil
lions more than all the efforts of trust
workers and highly paid labor, rs cnul
BRING forth from thu greatest manu-
featuring enterprise on the globe.
Tie extent to which this Stupcndous
growth of the corn fields of the West
and Southwest has been furthcrcd ~
the efforts of tie transportation conf
ranics is adequately understood only
ny those who are most familiar with
ihc history Of tie more recently srttlcG
states of the Union. Though the gov
innent has seemingly chosen rather
10 be Il foStt T. mother To the minuflc-
tires % the country. the Americ;,u
railroads. free from govCrnni"ntal i'll
ierfcr'l.cc and dictation have taken
great care i'm various ways to deyulnn
the agricultural interests on which Il
large rart of their traffic has always |
depended.
Most Of TIL" railrGa Is were first built |
rs daring financial ventures into |
sparS"ly settled territory Their pri- |
mary concern naturally VAS to sccur.,
freight producers. Largely through
hn fran in,. l,.,.. l,
pushed rapidly west ward nd-morc re-
"nt.y-northWard: ana. after getting
their territory settled the railroad Of
titiais have found they could obtain tie
best results by spending large sums in /
Work-an undertaking |
which still goes on.
"A great deal of an educational nature 4
li:;s been accomplished through the is
Suance Of free literature giving instru@.
ton III the adaptablity Of different
crops TO different soils. i'll the rotation |
of crops, in methods OF irrigation ana Il
in the choice Of seed. But perhaps the Il
most signal success watch has attend Ii
ed any railroad efforts along this linz
IS that which has crowned the work OF |
the 'spcd-corn specials sent out the II
past two years through Iowa ~ The
railroads. These wrre Hic~i;l trains Il
Of Il bAgGt2" ,.tr. two pri-
waite ears and Oh" or two audicno
coaches. "nd Carrying railroad officials
representatives of III daily and agri-
cultural press and tW" Inrmbers of III. =
staff OF III l. Iowa state CO..
lc%e. The Two latter, professors oi |
a3ronomI. IT each stop lCctured fol Il
twenty oi thirty minutes To the as
5rEblcd crowd OF farmers on methods
Of planting. of chuosin., seed and 50 on.
This instruction WAS timely. Th |
farmers of the stat" v,rYn then uSi!i;: Il
POOR quality Of seed. IN April. 1891
l.O0 samples of sced-"prn had been re-
Ceivcd ana examined III the State Ag-
ricultural Institution. Eighteen ~.
cent Of these were found t. be dead
while IN additional nineteen per cent
were il such Il weak state that in al
they would not last out til,
, old season then threatened. The i'm |
portancc Of strong, healthy seed to 4
heavy crop cannot II" u"crStatcd rs
every W,ll-ihfornlrd farmer knows
The difference in freight receipts from
4 light as compared With these from i
heavy crop VAS what itrl tho two pr:n
cipa! rdilruads Of the state 10 take thc
matter in hand. The lecturers cXhib-
lied charts showing 4 nm million urrr
stand of Germ in tn" stat" liz 1908 yield
ing only a six million acre crop. Thcy |
emphasized the unnecessarily low Az
rraSc for the state of 81 bushels to thv
acre when many farmers with a It'll" |
care We're producing an average OF 81
and 20 bushels.
In eight days the ''s"od-corn special"
trains covered 1.32i miles ana passed |
through 81 OF III" 10 counties 81 Iowa. \ |
hundred ana tfty talks were given IL
1850 people directly representing l.-DGr |
acres of corn. or on an average annual |
Weld OF lJ01.GC0 bushels worth SlS.0o0G 0l. |
Tic press. fur, hcrmOr", carried The iafnr
nation to every farmer and land owner |
in the state. This year these trains Wcr
sent out earlier i'll February. ard covered |
"A larger territory.
Thu irnmcmsc good done by such cam
pdign can be readily realized. even though |
il cannot be reduced to figures Western |
rrs are always in earnest whcr they s"e': |
instruction and particularly instruction |
on agricultural subjects. Tie word |
corn" especially possesses = magical |
quality in Iowa. lii greeting YOU an low