The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-27
Trouble at Manhattan College
Breaks Out Afresh.
Corn Judging Is Belittled by
Faculty Member.
SLAP AT FARM STUDY.
Pupils Accept 1t as Slur on
Agricultural Work.
President Nichols Charged With
Practicing Discrimination.

Manhattan, Kan, March 27@The stu
dents of the agricultural department Of
the Kansas State Agricultural college
are very indignant over an article in
the Industria.list, the college paper, rid
1culing the method of corn judging
used in that department. The Industrial
ist is edited by President Nichols and
the students look upon this as another
% the means used by the president and
his supporters for discrediting the agri-
cultural department
Prof. Shoesmith and his class won
laurels for themselves and the college
in corn judging at Chicago and this
attempt to put a damper upon their
work seemed to them just cause for re-
sentiment The head Of the agricultural
department and his assistants have for
several years suffered from the execu-
tive department by petty annoyances,
criticisms and Determinations to such
an extent that the professors of that
department feeling that they were not
wanted by the body Of the faculty have
sought employment elsewhere. Prof
Eaney was the last victim. He was no
sooner dropped from the college than he
was secured by the Iowa state college
whose officers keep in touch with all
the most efficient agriculturists Of the
country.
As an example Of the double dealing
Of the K S. A. c. people it is only nee
essary to consult the Industrialist of the
date when Prof Haney was discharged
An article appeared in that paper 1aud-
Ing him as an agricultural professor.
One of the faculty when asked why a
certain professor left the college re-
Piled: I'VE did not like him. The i'm
preston was going out over the state
that he was the whole thing" The rul-
ing members OF the faculty seem to live
in fear that they will be overshadOWed.
r. n 71d fr7rf rrfr, I'M
the college, one of the most cultured
and efficient men ever in the college
offered to return to the Kansas agricul-
fural college last spring but he had not
an advocate in the faculty.
The College Paper Article.
Part of the article in the Indus
trialist is as follows:
ITO nationally judge corn we must
keep constantly before US the object
Tor which corn is produced Though
a handsome plant, corn is not grown
for ornament; though an ear of corn
may be a thing of beauty, beauty is
not the aim in its production. BY far
the greater portion of the corn crop
is produced and used directly for feed
ing. The remainder, not required for
seed is used in certain industries in
which one or another of its consti-
tuents may possess a special value.
For the great majority of farmers, 1
therefore, that corn is best which will
produce the most nutriment per acre. !
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considering now the ears only, will
depend upon Cd the weight of shelled
corn per acre, and CD upon its chem
1ca1 composition Here, then, are tn
vital points in corn production-yield |
and cOmposition-yet neither of these |
appears on the ordinary score card, |
though of course some of the points
considered in scoring have an indirect |
bearing on them
THE score cards emphasize points !
that have much to do with the beauty |
of the individual ear but which have |
little or no bearing upon its practical |
value. Varieties are judged with |
reference to an arbitrary standard Sc
lected as a type, notwithstanding the l
well known fact that the type of any
variety of corn is altered by a change |
of climatic relations It is insisted |
upon that the ends of the cob must be I
well covered with grain, that white /
corn have white cobs and yellow corn /
red cobs, and that the rows must be /
straight. All these are merely fancy |
points, conformity to which does not /
insure, nor even tend toward. a maxi !
mum production of nutriment per /
acre It might even be argued that /
possession of a cob which is not al |
ways filled to the utmost limit is |
variety characteristic to be sought /
rather than to be discarded since it /
indicates a habit of growth which III /
favorable seasons might be taken ad- 1
vantage of to extend the length of /
the rows of grain
I'VE have seen how quality has been /
made subservient to fads in respect to /
color Of pure-bred CATTLE we see in the |
Judging OF poultry how the practical /
points have been almost suppressed by |
the fancy, in scoring Should we not |
take pains to avoid any such degenera-
ton in corn judging2 We have an ex-
ample worthy of imitation in the prac-
tices of some of the breeders of dairy !
cattle in which a statement of the milk
and butter production of the individual
and its ancestors and relatives is a part
Of the record accompanying its pedi-
gree
Corn judging viii lack very much Of
being on a practical basis until a va
riety is judged by its crop producing
power first The chemical composition
Of the crop produced is the next consid- /
Grafton. after which accessory and fam
cy points may receive some attention !
A variety producing 90 bushels of hand /
some ears per acre should not receive |
a moments favorable consideration /
compared with one producing SIS bush |
els of ears however deficient in beauty /
the latter may be. It will of course !
require more work. more keeping of rec /
ords, but what the practical farmer /
wants is yield per acre, and the agri- /
cultural college or experiment station I
that makes this the first consideration |
in corn judging viii be reaching up to I
its possibilities.
Handsome is as handsome does |
Let us judge varieties of corn on a /
of promise for the future based merely /
on good looks.
-. T. WILLARD"
The shortest line from Kansas City
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