The Laclede blade., 1905-02-18
THE SEED AND SOIL SPECIAL.
A Big Crowd Of Farmers i'm Laclede to
Hear the Lectures.

Friday afternoon OF lasC week Oh
schedule time and found something
like thousand farmers waiting Al
the station. The cars were filled anc
overflow meetings were held in the
passenger waiting room and in the
freight house. 1t was said to be the
largest and most enthusiastic meeting
held since the trip was begun.
Those on the train were W. HI
Manse, industrial commissioner of the
Burlington, Chicago, in charge; w.
J. Frayney, secretary; j. E. Votaw,
train master, Brookfield; VIM. Fitz-
gerald, general agent of the Burling-
ton, Hannibal; r. III. Crozier. division
passenger agent, St. Joseph; Walter
n. Kraft, Coleman's Rural World,
St. Louis; G. E. Edison, Kansas City
Star; Prof. F. B. Mumford, dean of
the state agricultural college, Colum-
bia; Col. G. w. Walters, representing
the state board of agriculture; DIR. G..
M. Tucker, Blodgett, Mo; Prof. M.
F. Miller, professor of agromony,
state university; Prof. J. H. Petit,
professor of soil culture, Illinois uni.
versity.
The train made forty minute stop
at Laclede. As its name indicates, it
was devoted entirely to instructions
regarding seed and soil for planting
corn, and lectures on these subjects
were given by the professors. THE
BLADE received synopsis of the lee
lures and prints them herewith.
CORN IMPROVEMENT.
The three points to be considered
are seed, soil and tillage. Good corn
cannot be grown without good seed.
There is a difference in the value of
seed for producing corn the same as
there is a difference in the value of
animals in producing beef. We have
we'll bred strains of corn just as we'll
as we have well bred strains of ami
mails. Such we'll bred seed will pro-
duce often from a quarter to a half
more corn per acre than the ordinary
corn This has been proven both by
experiments taken and by practical,
farmers. Farmers may breed corn
and improve their own varieties to
much greater yields per acre by care
full attention in selecting the proper
kind of seed to plant, together with
care in handling it, that it will keep
its vitality.
A good ear of corn should be as
nearly cylindrical in shape as possible
with deep kernels we'll out over both
butt and tip. The space between
kernels should be we'll filled, making
a compact, solid ear. The kernels
should be as nearly one size and shape
as possible in order to secure uniform
ity in planting. The proper shape of
the kernel is one slightly wedge-shap-
ed, about one and half times longer
than wide, with straight edges and
with such a shape at the tip as to lose
no space between the rows at the cob. L
The germ should be large, to insure |
strong termination.
Seed ears should be selected in the I
field, in order that the character of i
the stalk may be taken into consider L
alton. 1t should be stored in dry a
place where it viii dry out quickly P
before freezing weather. Corn must t
lot freeze before it is dried. Before t
planting, each ear should be tested as
% vitality by taking from four to six C
yrains out of different parts of the ear 81
md placing them between moist cloths c
n a warm place. Ones with weak &
termination, if they sprout at all, will tt
10 so only weakly. Plant only those p
ars whose kernels show strong ger lex
nination, A farmer can make more al
money ia few hours testing the vi ia