The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-14

way. In Kansas there are a hundred
thousand miles of roads that could be
vastly improved
when the railroads make Inn
provements the people pay for it
through their freight and passenger
fares We are spending thousands
now in small lots here and there but
no good can ever be done in this way
Kansas needs a man who can spend
a million dollars in road building.
draining and grading. 1t would add
twofold to the value of your farms
New York is now spending fifty mil
lion for this purpose while California
is spending twenty millions. why
can't Kansas spend one million"
Mayor Green, who followed, cor
daily extended the welcome of the
city. He wished the farmers of the
state increased successes during the
coming year, and would welcome
them back again a year later.
More Farm Hands Needed.
President Sponsler responded to the
addresses of the governor and the
mayor. He complimented Mr.. Coburn,
the secretary of the state board, and
cited the lack of farm hands as one
of the worst obstacles in improving
the farming industry. I'VE could use
ten thousand young men in Kansas
on our farms right at the present
time" said Mr.. Sponsler.
Speaker Dolley. who was observed
seated in a remote corner was drafted
and made a short speech. Mr.. Dolley
promised to do everything in his
official power to help the farming and
live stock interests of the state. He
compIimented the farmers on their
work their occupation and their fine
prospects. He told the farmers they
knew how to vote, thinking of last
state election, and said they always
voted right.
Great Corn Tall.
The address of the evening was de-
livered by Prof. NJ. L. Bowman of the
Iowa Agricultural college at Ames,
Ia. Prof. Bowman is a former Kan
sas boy having lived in Hutchinson
for nine years. The speaker talked
on the Corn Breeding Problem
and it was as able and practical as
any address ever heard in Kansas
agricultural gathering. Mr.. Bowman
was thoroughly acquainted with his
subject. told his experiences in a
straight forward and pleasant manner,
mostly in one syllable words. All of
the aggravating technicalities were
The general consensus of opinion of
those who heard Mr.. Bowman last
night is that there is nothing worth
knowing about his subject that he
doesn't know. He prefaced his adj
dress by extending the greetings of
the Hawkeye state, and telling how
the Iowans delighted in quoting Mr..
Coburn as authority on agricultural
and how the names of
Coburn and Kansas were indeIibly
linked together all over the country.
OF all the crops raised on American
farms, Mr.. Bowman termed corn the
king, and corn he pronounced the king
also of Kansas. 1.-THE average yield
of corn per acre in Kansas is only %
bushels" said Prof. Bowman. cit
should be much greater, as nearly
fifty bushels could be easily raised /
Tonight we will interest ourselves not
in the question of extending the acre
age of this product but of getting
more bushels from the land already
under cultivation. AS there are 1856
hills in every acre of corn and three |
kernels usually planted in each hill, |
we are receiving just one ear to the |
hill, and this ear weighs only seven |
ounces. The question follows, what |
becomes of the rest of the kernels that |
we're planted. We often find two fields |
IF which produced about Is or 20 |
bushels while the other will produce |
from % to 80 bushels. The difference |
sn't always due to the fence.
1.-The main reason for a poor yield of |
corn is a poor stand. We find it is a |
very frequent occurrence from to |
10 hills out of every hundred to be |
absolutely vacant. This of course
instead of hills are taken into consid- |
grafton.
eve also find that the greatest |
cause of a poor stand of corn is the |
poor seed corn which is used. Farm |
ers have been too lax in the attention |
paid to this matter. We think moth |
ing of spending thousand or two to |
improve our herds, but we plant our |
corn without assurance that it is of a !
strong and vigorous terminating |
power.
Great Loss in Bad Seed.
The Iowa experiment station recent
Y sent to the farmers of that state an |
invitation to send in samples of their |
seed corn, taking two kernels each from
90 ears that they sent. Three thou |
sand replies were received. sixty per |
,ent was found to be good, 10 per cent |
weak and 81 per cent refusing to sprout |
1t all. This sort of a test shows that