The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-04-07
SPECIAL CORN GOSPEL.
Corn Special Over Two
Maryland Railroads Fred
erick Farmers to Have a
Chance to Hear the Corn
Expert.

If the farmers of Western
Maryland do not profit by the
lessons taught them by the ex-
perts of the State and United
States Agricultural Department,
concentrated in the Seed Corn
Special' trains, which is spread.
ing the new Corn Gospel"
throughout the Middle West, it
will not be the fault of those in
charge of this most excellent
venture.
On Friday, the 3lst of March,
a especial" started from Balti.
more at 9.05 a. M. over the West.
ern Maryland and Pennsylvania
Railroad, and stops were made at
TOwsOn, Long Green. Hyde, Bald
win, FallstOn and Belair. The
return was by way of Forest Hill,
The Rocks. Delta. FELTON, and
Red Lion. This route took in the
important places in Hartford aud
Baltimore Counties.
The especial" was in charge Of
Mr.. w. l.. AmOss, Director of
Farmers Institutes, and had on
board Mr.. a. ID. Shamel, the
great corn breeding expert of the
United States Department of
Agriculture; Captain Il. w. Syl-
vester. President of the Mary.
land Agricultural College; Prof.
w. T. l.. Tallaferro, eorn-breed-
ing specialist, Maryland Agri-
cultural Experiment Station;
Prof. E. P. Walls; Prof. II. j.
Patterson, Director of the Mary
land Agricultural Experiment
Station; Mr.. w. W. Cobey, of the
Department of Agriculture; Mr..
Herman Badenhoop, Secretary of
the State Bureau of immigration;
Messrs. G. BOsley Littig, Z. Muir
ray Maynadier and LIE Roy Sny-
der of the Chamber of Commerce,
and Mr.. j. S. Norris and Mr..
John s. Bull, General Manager
and General Freight Agent, re-
spectively, of the Maryland and
Pennsylvania Railroad.
The program was varied from
place to place and the greatest
interest was manifested. The
farmers came in great numbers
from great distances to the places
scheduled for stops, some as far
as 20 mil $. The principal ad-
dresses were made by Professor
Shamel.
The following is a good idea
of the general trend of his re
marks:
Professor Shamel said that he
desired to stamp indelibly upon
the minds of the farmers the i'm
pOrtaDce of testing their seed
corn in the early spring, be fore
the planting season, and that it
is very simple matter to make
these tests, as it takes only about
- ears of corn to plant one acre.
He advised the farmers to
select the seed ears from their
largest and best developed grain,
aud place in rows upon the barn
floor or other convenient place
and separate into sections, which
should be numbered, being care.
full always not to get these sec
lions mixed. Six grains are then
to he taken from different parts
of each ear and placed upon a
layer of about three inches of
moist sawdust or earth placed
in the bottom of box, the saw.
dust or earth having been pre-.
viously marked off in small
squares and numbered; and after
six grains from each ear have
been placed in the different
squares of sawdust or earth
thin cloth is placed over the
whole to keep them in place.
Upon the top of this cloth is
then placed about three inches
more of moist sawdust or earth,
and when this upper covering is
removed (being careful not to
disturb the grains) it will be
found that a number of grains
have no sprouts at all, that others
have very weak sprouts, and still
others, have very strong, Wig
orous sprouts. The farmer is
instructed to throw out the ears
from which the weak or defective
grains were taken. and in this
way his increase in his corn crop
will be material.
Professor Shamel had with him
a small wooden box, the bottom
of which was covered with grains
of corn, separated and numbered,
some of which had not sprouted
at all, and some of which had
strong, vigorous sprouts, show
ing a vast difference in the
grains of seed corn.
Professor Shamel said at one
point that the average yield Of
329 bushels of corn per acre for
Maryland could be readily in
creased to 100 bushels, if the
proper precautions were used in
salactinp seed corn.