Times-promoter., 1909-02-11
FOR CORN IMPROVEMENT.
Prof. c. P. Norsord, Formerly Of Ar
kansas, but Now in Wisconsin,
Writes Corn Letter to Board

"TItCS NOTU GCttCT " CSa'S
of Trade.
A letter relative to the methods that
may be used for the improvement or
corn culture in Arkansas was received
yesterday at the Board of Trade from
Prof. c. P. Norgord, assistant agron-
omist of Wisconsin, and connected
with the Agricultural College at Mad
ison. Professor Norgord was former
ly at the Arkansas State Experiment
Station. The letter Is reply to
request for literature and information
relative to the improvement of corn.
In part the letter follows:
In regard to the movement for the
improvement of corn, wish to state
that this work has been in progress
for number of years at this station
and three varieties of corn suitable
TO the three different climatic and soil
conditions have been introduced and
disseminated throughout the state.
These are not pure-bred varieties,
nor are there any absolutely pure
bred varieties of corn in the United
States, but they are good yields and
suitable 10 the conditions of the Sec
tions in which we have placed them.
In addition to this, we have endeav-
ored to improve the methods OF hand
ling of corn.
This consists of getting the farm
ers in the state to set aside plot
of land, say from one-half to one
acre of ground, each year, upon which
they raise their seed corn. The corn
is planted in this plot in such man
ner that corn from the same ear is
planted side by side in certain num-
ber of rows, and thus from fifty 10
one hundred ears for the whole plot.
In this manner we determine the
profiigacy, vitality and yielding pow
er of each ear used in the test, and
select seed corn only from the rows
from the best ears as indicated by
their yields and characteristics. We
then select about one hundred OF the
best ears from the highest yielding
parent ears from the seed for the
seed plot of the following year, and
use the remainder of the seed corn
from the seed plot for the general
field for the following year. In this
way we each year improve the quail
ity of our seed corn and lose none OF
the work done during the preceding
year.
With reference to sending you seed
from this station, l wish to say that
corn which is adapted to this state
would not at all be adapted to your
state. 1t would not be large enough
variety nor late enough, neither would
it give the yields that you could get
| from varieties of corn suitable to
| your state.
During my work in Arkansas | en-
deavored to establish and breed one
variety of corn for each of the sub
stations, namely, at Mena, Hope, Lo-
noke, Imboden, Latour Danville and
Fayetteville, the main station. 1t was
my purpose to select good seed corn
| from the variety grown at each OF
these places and to disseminate it in
the section surrounding the substa-
tions for this year. At the same time
| it was my purpose to carry on close
breeding work year by year, by means
of which, within four or five years,
rure-bred strains of superior qualities
would be produced for future dissem-
| ination.
The following are some of the best
varieties for your state, and are some
| which were used for original stock
| for the breeding work at the substa-
tions: Hickory King, Held's Yellow
| Dent, Farmers Favorite, Boone Coun-
| ty White, Iowa Silver Mine, Leaning,
Cookies Prolific, Marlboros Prolific
and Texas Strawberry.
| would also advise you to get in
close cooperation with the station
at Fayetteville in response to the
growing and distribution of seed corn
| snG the dissemination of improved
methods of handling corn. The sta
ton is anxious to be helpful to the
farmers and is the proper and most
effective channel in your state for you
| to work through.
| | should have been more than pleas
ed TO have joined with you in this
good work had / stayed with the sta
ton in Arkansas. You have. fine
state and fine field for work, and |
look for great development in both
the corn and cotton industry in your
stare within the next few years. l
stall be pleased to hold myself at