Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-21
THE GOSPEL oRscoRN.

FTOleSSOT f1OlQen is JOurneylnS
along the line of the Northwestern
road now, spreading the gospel of
corn. His efforts were so successful
in. Iowa last year that the railroads are
all anxious to obtain his services. In
fact, so many calls have been made
upon his time that it has been 1aeces-
sary for him to decline many Invita-
lions and the railroads have secured
other mer to make the seed corn lee
lures.
Professor Holden's advice Is valu-
able to farmers everywhere. Wher-
ever corn is raised or can be raised
no farmer should allow himself to miss
hearing the Ames man talk about corn.
His theory is a good one; it is prac-
ticable, and the Iowa farmer learned
last year that, despite his own famil-
iarity with all that pertains to farm
ing, it is yet possible for him to learn
more from man who has made sci
entific study of the problem of rails
ing crops in the right way Iowa's big
corn crop last season showed that Pro
fessor Holden's lectures have done
good and more good is expected from
them this year. The farmers are
awakening to the fact that there is
a new era opening before them. They
can now add to their store of knowl-
edge about crops and soils by listening
to lectures upon the purely scientific
points of farming. The result of thus
listening are counted in dollars.
An admirer of the Ames man who
has given and is giving so much of
his time to the work of spreading the
gospel Of corn, a missionary among the
tillers of the soil, has summed up the
gist Of his gospel of the crops in the
following paragraphs:
'That experiments conducted at the
state agricultural farm have shown
an average difference in yield of more
than thirty bushels of corn to the
acre according to the seed selected.
THAT the best results have come
from taking seed corn from fields
grown in the neighborhood, good re-
suits rarely ever being obtained from
seed grown more than a hundred
miles distant.
"That all damage to seed corn by
frost is past by January 15, and that
after that date it is safe to begin to
test for planting.
AAel1 oAly WOll lOlluOu clu uAllOi III
ears Of corn should be selected from
which to get seed.
That each ear so selected should be
given the most thorough test as to its
vitality, at least six kernels being
taken for termination, three from one
side and three from the other, the
kernels coming from the butt, the mid
die and the tip of the ear.
s'That if one kernel of the six so
taken does not, grow, the ear should
be thrown out. is not 95 per cent of
goodkernels satisfactory showing?'
was asked the professor, at the an
nual meeting of the state agricultural
society. Why should you be satisfied
to allow five acres out of every hun
bred to grow nothing, when by little
care you can have good seed for ALP
was his reply
'That the time required to sort out
the sound ears by this method will be
many times repaid by the yield. Sup
posing the corn raiser to spend four
weeks in testing his seed corn. For
that one month he can make gain
on hundred-acre field of an average
Of from fifteen to thirty-fve bushels
of corn, at present prices from $500 to
$4,000 for his one months labor"