Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-22
Some Things You Want to Know
The National Corn Show.

The Department OF Agriculture estimates
that the corn crop OF the United states this
year win amount to 2.767,s16,cOO bushels. At
the current prices this represents a value
Of more h 81, 0 coo. OOO-almost s2.OOO.-
100000. This estimate foreshadows the
the greatest corn crop on record with
the sole exception Of the bumper crop OF
1906, which Tell only a little under 3,OOO,-
10000 bushels. II is impossible for the
human brain to conceive the full signifi-
canoe Of such enoI nous figures, but they
tell, even to the dullsrd. the fact that
Corn is King"
The third annual National Corn show will
be held in Omaha early In December, and
at this exhibition King Corn will hold
court. The first annual show was held in
Chicago three years ago. Although not a
financial success il was accounted a most
interesting exhibition OF corn and other
farm cereals. 1t was brought to a close by
an allegorical pageant in which King Corn
brought to his throne Queen Alfalfa. The
third university of the wedding will be
celebrated at Omaha. Chicago decided that
the corn show was too slow; that the
people did not care for still life" ex-
positions. Omaha did not accept the verdict,
and by its corn show OF last year proved
AAlaA IL NohAu bN luu a eANoA NhAAlAhA
success. State corn shows, with general
exposition features attached, have proved
to be very successful in many western
cities. Sioux City, Ia, has the honor of
originating the Corn exposition idea, some
twelve OF fifteen years ago.
More than $1,000 ears Of corn will be
exhibited at the Omaha show. other grains
also will be shown, but corn is to rule
supreme over all. Fhe prizes to be dis
tributed will aggregate $4,000. But perhaps
the greatest public interest will center in
the contest for the largest and finest ear
Of corn grown in the country this year.,
for which a prize of a gold cup has been
offered by a certain breakfast food con-
corn. The wide advertising given to this
prize cup in the newspapers and magazines
has focused the interest Of the whole coun-
try upon this one feature of the National
Corn show. Every corn-growing state will
be represented in the exhibits, as well as
every variety of corn grown. Including the
decorative effects, ranging from a land
scape, done in corn, to the latest thing in
millinery, copied in maize, the show will
boast more than 5000 separate 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 conceded that the
prospective corn acreage of the nation is
now nearing its maximum With 101, 900. 900
acres devoted to the growing of corn in
1908, the total yield was 2.66S, 100000 bushels,
end the farm value Of the crop was S1,slG,-
100000. The acreage was more than double
that Of wheat, and its value a billion
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 received more for his corn crop
by nearly half than he received for all his
other grain crops.
If the farmer can get l cent a bushel
more for his corn his profit is increased
so, 100000 II he can induce his land to
grow one bushel more to the acre, he has
profited to the extent Of nearly $50. 0OO. 900
by the operation. BY increasing the yield
per acre of corn vast wealth will be added
to the national store, and by enhancing
the quality Of the yield the farmer can
multiply his profits. 1870 bus
1t is a distressing fact that the figures
for 1908 show an average yield OF corn
amounting to only 1852 bushels to. the acre.
This is but little larger than the Average
yield of all the years since the closes of
tho civil war. While the rest of the world
has been making vast strides in produc-
tive capacity, the corn farmer has stood
still, Increasing his acreage at a remarka-
BILE 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 remedy this.
1t will endeavor to show the corn farmer
that he may double his crop II he will.
1t will call his attention TO the eloquent
lesson of New Hampshire, a state GER
tainly far below the average in soil fer
tility, yet with the highest average Of