The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-02-17
,mPRovEMENTlN CORN CULTURE

Editor Republican: While at
Ames, mol long ago | took the oppor-
tunity of attending the short course
in agriculture, in which the famous
Prof. Holden teaches the corn classes.
| was present at the auction sale of
seed corn that took the different
prizes, and saw the best ear OF corn
sold TO a Chicago man for Sl1, and
the best 100 ears Ia Reds yellow
Dent kind, grown by Mr.. Johnson, of
Illinois and which captured Il prize
at the ST. Louis eXposltion.) sold for
$l02. 80.
There were about coo people slere
and among them were several men
who are famous over the larger part
of our fair America and men who
have made diligent and effective
efforts to improve the corn grown in
this country. The most famous in
this fruitful field of effort, so benefi-
cient to all, and especially to those
who dwell in the great northwest,
is Mr.. Ried, of Illinois. This gentle
man has spent most OF his life in
the effort to improve u corn and
SO make two bushels grow where only
one grew before. When the auction
eer called for a speech from MIR. Reid,
a tall man with slightly stopped
shoulders and a long gray beard,
arose from the back seat and came
forward. Mr.. Reid had the appear.
ance of a typical granger to the
eve OF tlippant ones, but a keen OBJ
server could see even in his outward
appearance the signs of a great man
and he surely is one who has done
vastly more good for mankind than
many a much advertised politician or
ever statesman. After leaving his
cap and a paper box he was carrying
with the a%uctioneer, Mr.. Reid re-
marked to the audience that speech
making was a little out of his line
and therefore he could not make a
good speech. Then he proved him
self mistaken by making a very good
speech and it was appreciated all the
more because it vas so short. He
said: "Whlle | was breeding Reid's
Yellow Dent corn. the uppermost
thought In my mind was | want to
make the world just a little bit better
because | have lived in it.
Mr.. MINDS, the breeder of the corr
next most popular to Reid's Yellow
Dent, and named Legal Tender, made
the next speech in which he told us
that had spent % years in breeding
this kind of orn He also incorpor-
aCed Mr.. Reid's speech into his, as
did Mr.. William Whiting. of Whit
ing, Iowa. The latter gentleman is
the son of an ex-governor OF Iowa,
aud a very enthusiastic corn breed
er, and the man who helped the town
of Whiting to Capture the $3.50 Whit.
ing trophy, and who also won the
Turner Special, a valuable prize
Emerson says that: "It is the rule
of the universe that corr shall serve
AAitsi ha'N hfit loI'' I'0SiNlCtIiI
Storms of Ames. Ia, has said ''It is
this rule of the universe. as Emerson
calls it, that we must perpetually en-
phasize. III and when industrialism
dominates and masters intellectual
ism, decay and decline Immediately
set in. The tibers of the intellectual
life become thick and hard and UNI
responsive The intellectual process
has been stereotyped: %artelial de-
generation begins the brain becomes
wooden. lndustrlalism soon digs its
OWn grave, when this rule of''thc uni
verse has once been we'll forgotten:
namely that corn snail serve mar and
not man corn
1t is interesting to note how much
mans brains nave made corn more
Subservient to him now than it was
in 1850. ''In 1850 the labor repre-
serted 10 d ushel OF corn was four
and n half hours; in 1894 it had
been reduced to thirty one minutes
and has been much reduced since
1894 by improvements in corn har-
yestlng machinery In other words,
by the aid OF modern machinery. al
man can produce as much corn now
in u day as he could in 1850 in
nine days: or, if you please. by work
ing one day now, he can produce as
much corn as lie could i'm 1850 in nine
days, and have the remaining eight
hours to attend to his other needs.
whether physical. mental or spirit
ual Elya Cornelius Andrews.
Vermillion, SD. Feb. ID.