The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-05-07
GRANGE.
A Paper Read Before Pomona
Grange at OrsOn by
w. III. Bullock.

COFn culture, saving tne Seeu,
testing, etc.-Indian corn or maize
is a native of America. 1t was
not known to Europe, Asia or
Africa before the discovery of Amer
ca. When the white man came to
this country he found the Indian
using corn for this reason; it was
called Indian corn and the best evil
dence at hand seems to point to
Central America as the original
home of Indian corn.
1t was found in the mounds of the
Mound Builders, race of people
who inhabited America prior to the
Indians and in the Smithsonian In
stitute at Washington may be seen
specimens of corn taken from the
tombs of ancients. One specimen of
corn was found twelve feet under
ground in a jar buried in grave
with a mummy. Corn, like wheat
and oats, belong to the grass fam
lily, is an annus but unlike most
other grasses produces it's grain on
one or more shoots from the joints,
on the side of the stalk.
There are six classes or races of
corn: Pop corn, Sweet corn, Pod
corn, Flower corn, Flint corn, and
Dent corn. The pop corns are gen.
orally smaller than the fields corns,
have many suckers and the kernels
are small, hard and flinty. The
characteristics of the Sweet corns
are less starchy and more sugar than
in other kinds, and it also remains
in the ''doughy or roasting ear"
stage much longer, and the kernels
are very much wrinkled when
thoroughly matured or ripened.
They are especially valuable for
canning, boiling and roasting, and
some of the varieties, like Stowelrs
Evergreen, are much used for fod-
der. Pod corn or husk corn is of
no special value as a field crop, be-
ing grown merely as curiosity.
Each kernel is enclosed in a husk.
Flower corn, the kernel is shaped
like those of the first varieties, but
unlike them, in that the entire ker-
mel, except the germ, is made up of
soft, starchy or flowery appearing
material, and it has been frequently
used to adulterate wheat flower. The
flint varieties are smaller and earlier
than the dent varieties and are
grown in those sections or states
north of what is known as the corn
belt. The Dent corn, practically all
of the corn produced in the great
Corn Belt" OF the United States be-
long to this class. There are many
varieties differing widely in color,
size and time of maturity.
The increase in yield and extern
sion of the acres planted in this
strictly American crop have kept
place with the rapid and wonderful
growth of our country. Corn is
king of the cereals and the most i'm
portant crop of American agricul-
ture. 1t is the back bone of farm
ing in this country. Live stock OF
every kind are fed upon rations, in
to which it largely enters, both here
and abroad, and it is claimed that
it feeds more human beings than
any other grain except rice. 1t
grows in almost every section of
America. There is no one best meth
cd suited to all sections or to the
different soils of section nor even
to the different fields of the same
farm. Frequently two very differ
ent methods may give equally good
results. There are no fixed rules
that may be followed blindly, for
the growing of corn, any more than
in other farm work. Have good
ground, do the work on time and
do it thoroughly, should be the
motto.
1t was but a few years ago that
the farms of the corn belt were
broken from the virgin soil, and
that because they have been able
to crop the ground continuously for
the past, is no assurance that they
may continue to do so with profit
in the future. The fact is that the
time is near at hand when we must
give greater attention to the fer
tility of the soil, to the conserving
and restoring of the elements of
plant food or we shall soon be COM
PEELED to pay millions of dollars for
these elements, in the form of COM
. mercial fertilizers. Fall plowing
for corn. There seems to be a great
diversity of opinion regarding the
merits of fall and spring plowing,
even in the same neighborhood,
among the advantages of fall plow-
, ing are the following:
1. Having the ground already
plowed in the spring, gives us time
to better prepare the ground, and
what is of equal Importance to get
our corn in on time.
2. A better prepared and warm
er seed bed and consequently a bet
ter stand of corn.
g. Less danger from insect ene-
mics and especially in the case of
sod ground.
4. Many weed seeds in the ground
will germinate and will be killed by
the fall freezes, especially in this
true where the ground has been
plowed early in the fall.
Some disadvantages of fall plow-