Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-20


IA T8 bushels. At the current prices
uerl this represents value of
more than $1,000, 000 000-al-
most two billion dollars. This estimate
foreshadows the greatest corn crop on
record, with the sole exception of the
bumper crop of 1906. which fell only a
little under three billion bushels. 1t Is
impossible for the human brain to
conceive the full significance of such
enormous figures, but they tell, even
to the dullard, the fact that Corn is
King.
The third annual National Corn show
will be held in Omaha early in Decem-
Der, and at this exhibition King Corn
will hold court. The first annual show
was held in Chicago three years ago.
Although not q financial success, 1t
was accounted a most interesting eX-
hibition of corn and other farm cereals.
1t was brought to a close by an alle-
gorical pageant in which King Corn
brought to his throne Queen Alfalfa,
The third anniversary of the wedding
will be celebrated at Omaha. Chicago
decided that the corn show was too
slow; that the people do not care for
"still life expoSitions. Omaha did
not accept the verdict, and by its corn
show of last year proved that 1t could
be made a great national success.
state corn shows, with general expo
sition features attached, have proved
to be very successful in many western
cities, Sioux City, Iowa, has the honor
of originating the Corn exposition idea
same twelve or fifteen years ago.
More than fifty thousand cars of corn
will be exhibited at the Omaha show,
other grains will also be shown, but
corn is to rule supreme over all The
prizes to be distributed will aggregate
$50,000. But perhaps the greatest pub
lie interest will center in the contest
for the largest and finest ear of corn
grown in the country this year. for
which prize of a gold cup has been
offered by a certain breakfast food
concern. The wide advertising given
to this prize cup in the newspapers and
magazines has focused the interest of
the whole country upon this one fea-
ture of the National Corn show. Every
corn growing state will be represented
in the exhibits, as we'll as every variety
of corn grown. Including the decora-
tive effects, ranging from a landscape
done in corn to the latest thing in mil
linery copied in maize, the show will
boast more than eight thousand sep
arate exhibits.
More corn to the acre" is the slogan
of the national corn show. James G..
Blaine once predicted that corn would
become the backbone of agriculture in
the United States, and the prophecy
long since has been fulfilled. 1t is con-
ceded that the prospective corn acre
age of the nation is now nearing its
maximum. With 100000 acres de-
voted to the growing of corn in 1908
the total yield was 2,66S, 900 bushels,
and the farm value Of the crop was
S1,6l600O,0O0. The acreage was more
than double that of wheat, and its
value billion dollars greater. In fact
the acreage of corn in 1908 was greater
than that of all the rest of the cereal
crops of the nation taken together; the
yield was a full billion bushels greater
than the aggregate yield of all other
grains and the American farmer re-
ceived more for his corn crop by nearly
half than he received for all his other
grain crops.
If the farmer can get cent a bushel
more for his corn his profit is increased
$27, 900 100000. If he can induce his
land to grow one bushel more to the
acre he has prohted to the extent of
nearly sixty million dollars by the
operation. By increasing the yield per
acre of corn vast wealth will be added
to the national store, and by enhanc-
ing the quality of the yield the farmer
can multiply his profits.
1t is a distressing fact that the fig
ures for 1908 show an average yield of
corn amounting to only 26.2 bushels
to the acre. This is but little larger
than the average yield of all the years
since the close of the Civil war. While
all the rest of the world has been
making vast strides in productive ca
pacity, the corn farmer has stood still,
increasing his acreage at remarkable
rate, but giving little attention to in
creasing the yield per acre-the very
pivotal point in profitable farming.
The corn exposition will seek to rem
edy this. 1t will endeavor to show
the corn farmer that he may double
his crop If he will. 1t will call his
attention to the eloquent lesson of