Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-03-30
PROF. HOLDEN AT AUDUBON.
The Seed Corn Gospel Train at
Audubon iast Tuesday.

Audubon last tuesday.
AS some one aptly said the other
| day, the changed attitude of Iowa
| towards advanced and scientific agri-
culture is aptly shown by the fact that
when Uncle Dick Clarkson urged far
mers week after week fifteen years ago
| to test their seed corn, the people
called it Clarkson's ''fad" and now
when Prof. Holden is doing practi-
cally the same thing the people call it
gospel"
Tuesday morning the seed corn gos-
pei train reached Audubon on time,
$3.50, and was met at the depot by per-
| haps 300 farmers and others inter
ested, nearly all farmers. Two of the
| lecture cars were at once filled, Prof.
Holden speaking for about thirty min
| utes in one and one of his assistants
| speaking in the other. The closest
and most respectful attention was
| given. We are inclined to think the
talk was very well received and that it
was practical and to the point, and
will do good.
Prof. Holden's talk is necessarily
| brief and he touches only the main
and material points. He dwells on
making this $75 and 300 land pro-
duce more than "a bushels to the acre,
| which is about the average crop. He
showed with samples of ears that "a
| bushels only meant one half sized ear
| to the hill on an average. He showed
the results of counts in many fields,
showing that many hills were missing
| and many others only had one stalk.
crop is to get good stand. No
only should seed that will not germi-
nate be rejected, but seed that gerni-
mates weakly, should be rejected.
Those weak sprouts produce stalks
that only cumber the ground, 'stand
around all summer and do nothing"
Many think if the grain only sprouts
| that, although it is slow, sit is com
ing" but by fall it is shown that
while it was still coming" it never
got there sufficiently to produce Il
good stalk and ear. If two good ears
can be grown to the hill it means Is
bushels to the acre. Prof. Holden
then takes up his system of testing
which we cannot explain here in de-
|
tail. 1t is simple, plain common sense
and is surely practical. 1t consists
in laying the ears, after they have
been carefully selected, in rows, num-
boring them, marking piece of cloth
i'm small squares numbered to CORES
pond with the ears, placing the test
kernels from each ear in the proper
square. the canvass being laid on
some earth in shallow box, sack
of damp saw dust or earth laid on top
of it and the box placed in proper
temperature. After giving it time for
termination an examination will show
what ears must be rejected because of
either partial or weak termination.
Such a method of testing is only q lit
tie trouble compared with its great
value.
Prof Holden is a man of close OBJ
servation is an original investigator,
is good public speaker and pleas
ant gentleman. He is pioneer and
the most prominent man in his par
ticular line, improved methods in the
production of corn. He is having n
tremendous influence in Iowa and the
whole corn raising west. His writ
ings appear in the leading agricutu-
raj papers of the country. His lee
lures are much sought after. In Il
few days this series of trips over Iowa
have been out he and his as
sistants will have adore sSed
about 100000 people. His influence
on the economic condition of Iowa is
great, practical and and useful His
project of travelling in this way over
the state was made possible by the
| Agricultural college in whose work he
is engaged and by the state govern
ment which supports the college. The
Iowa Grain Dealers Association and
the railroads have very earnestly co
operated and assisted him.
! The. special train runs four cars.
One is the private car, a combination
diner and sleeper. The other three
are day coaches fitted for lecture cars.
Each can be filled so as to hold per-
haps $50 or 200 people. Prof. Holden
was accompanied to Audubon by three
assistant lecturers, young students of
the State College at Ames, Messrs.
Mosher, Wilson and Bowman. He
was also accompanied by Hon. S. T..
Sage, familiar to all Iowa people as
the man who has charge of the state
weather and crop observations, also
by Joe r. Trigg, the noted and able
editor of the Iowa State Register, also
by Geo. A. Wells, Secy. of the Iowa
Grain Dealers Association.
Laugh And Grow Fat T."