Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-31
CORN Is VARIABLE
Picking Has Commenced and
Reports Of Yield and Quality
Are Far Apart
DID HOLDEN COMMENCE WRONG
One Farmer Who Says He Should
Have Educated People to Prepare
the soil-He Argues for Fall Plow-
ina to Insure a crop-corn Husker
in Action-Thayer's Observations.
snec,,, 70 Times Republican.

special 10 Times Republican.
New Providence, Oct. 81. corn
picking has begun and reports are
uida anart as to the crop. Thomas
Chance was unloading load When
arrived at his place He was throwing
II an the ground, and said it was TOO
wet to crib, and would not dry out
that perhaps the chickens would eat
It. Other farmers right in the same
neighborhood report good corn.
Henry Hutchins,. who lives a mile
and half east of town, has the hrs'
..anthentic" report l have heard this
year. He had seven acres between ms
house and the road. He has this plckea
and i'm the crib and, according to his
measurement, it yields III bushels 10
the acre, is dry and in fine cond,tioh.
This variety is called the Chestnut,
and he has already sold many of his
neighbors their seed for next year at
81 per bushel, and can't supply the
demand.
In discussing the crop situation with
various farmers here one farmer SAID
that Professor Holden began at the
wrong end when he started out TO
teach farmers to select seed corn; that
he should have taken up the subject
of soil first, and taught them how to
prepare the ground. This man thinks
that corn can not successfully be
raised in our short seasons unless the
ground is fall plowed" and kept mel
low and rich. He cited several in
stances where good crops had been
raised this year on fall blowing, and
when he found soft corn it was on
spring blowing. His explanation was
that when ground was plowed in the
fall and worked smooth in the spring
it was quicker, and when the warm
weather came it was ready to grow a
crop; that spring blowing was turned
up wet and in chunks and remained
that way. 1t remained soggy all sum-
mer. I took pains to look up the far
mers mentioned and found that he was
correct in these cases.
LeF'ever and Dunn, two farmers,
neighbors, have bought a corn husker
and were trying it out the other day.
Farmers for miles around We're there
to see it work, and all pronounced it
a perfect success. 1t is arranged SO it
can be worked with three, four or five
horses, and In addition it takes two
teams to haul the corn from the
field to the house, and one man at the
house to unload. 1t leaves less corn
in the field than the average
husker, it husks it cleaner, and anoth-
er thing, it does not discriminate
against the nubbins-picks them just
the same as the big ears, something
the man picking by the bushel will not
do. In practice 1t picks the stalks from
the ground the same as a corn binder.
the stalk running between rollers, and
when the ear hits the rollers is
pinched off and is carried up, when
another roller with huslling pegs tears
the husks loose and pulls them off.
while the ear follows the elevator and
falls into the wagon. It cuts one row
at a time and does 1t the same as they
plow-lays it off into plots. This causes
all the stalks for each plot to lay in
the same direction and not In every
direction, as in the case when picked
by hand. The advantage in this is in
the clearing up for the next crop, as a
man can go out in the spring and go
against the stalks and clear the field
Ill n
experiencing considerable trouble in
finding pickers. Some are asking
cents a bushel, but as the corn stands
up pretty well it is more than likely
many men will be husking in the
snow rather than pay the price.
The corn this year is like the oats
it lacks feeding value. Farmers are all
complaining that the stock eats and
eats, but the animals do not put on
the flesh. The hogs eat all in sight
and squeal for more. This is a great
feeding country and many are now
fencing hog tight and turning hogs
and cattle into the fields to let them
do their corn picking. They claim they
pick clean and do not waste any. Be
that as it may, it saves much labor,
and that seems to be the cry-any-
thing to save work.
Many new barns, corn cribs, and i'm
provements are going on here, which
would indicate that the money situa-
ton is not troubling them any. Per-
haps the most noticeable thing here is
the new home Of Tom Glenn, who is
putting himself up new house out Of
cement blocks. The dimensions are
36x41, with two full stories, with slate
roof. 1t will contain thirteen large
rooms and in addition has mammoth
porch on two sides, the south and east,
and situated as it is on slight knoll,
surrounded by a grove, it is certainly
a striking country home.
GEORGE F. THAYER.