The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-12-16
GREAT HELP TO FARMERS

are poor, and when farmers are poor
other people who do business with
them are poor, too. Therefore 1t is
important to all of us to find out why
our farmers are poor and the answer
is not hard to find.
After mentioning that there Is little
fall blowing, too much of shallow
blowing, too little of proper rotation
of crops, too much disposition to raise
one or two or three things to the
exclusion of all others, too much nee
essity under this plan to buy butter
and eggs and meats to consume on
the farm, and too much of this class
of goods shipped out of the country
only to be shipped back again and
sold at Missouri River prices plus
the freight. 1t is well to observe
some of the things brought out at
the Corn Show at Omaha, and see
how our work compares with the
work of the successful farmers who
had prize-winning products there.
Among the six thousand exhibits
of corn at that great show, there
were three thousand from Indiana
that were better than anything else.
And the thousands of persons who
asked as to the methods that made
such wonderful corn were informed
that 1t was not all in the blowing nor
in the time of planting nor the Gull
tivating. Selection of seeds for years
to bring out and deyelop the very
best elements in the very best corn.
Breeding seed corn to develop the
greatest amount of protein for GER
tain food purposes, or the greatest
amount of oil for other use.
1t was brought to their observation
at the Corn Show that the State of
Iowa had increased the value of her
corn crop fifteen millions of dollars
by breeding up the seed corn, and
samples of the different results OBJ
tanned from high seed as compared
with corn raised from seed not bred
at all were in baskets and bundles
side by side to tell their own story.
And it was such striking object
lesson that nobody who observed it
could go back home and be content
to plant the same old mongrel seed
corn if it were possible. to obtain a
start of the more thrifty high bred
grain. Different seeds planted and
cared for under the same conditions
making difference of fifteen millions
of dollars annually is an item worthy
of the attention of the people of any
great state, and Idaho farmers while
not raising corn commercially, might
apply the principle to other things.
The State of Minnesota, through
her agricultural college, expended the
sum of forty thousand dollars in
breeding up wheat. and such is the
difference between the yield from the
old kinds of seed and the new under
the same treatment, they estimate
a gain of four millions of dollars in
a wheat crop. and the good work has
only just begun. Idaho farmers raise
wheat, and very few in this locality
are making much sacrifice to get bet
ter seed If better seed will raise a
few more sacks per. acre with the
same amount of work applied, it is
high time we were in search of the
better seeds, mad farmers and bust
ness men alike should be Interested.
Corn $3.50 a Bushel
One bushel of the high bred corn
exhibited at Omaha was sold to the
highest bidder, ans ON account of it's
quality, it's pedigree, it's known abii>
fly to produce high yield of equally
thrifty and highly nutritious corn,
il sold for $3.50. And this price was
not paid on some fancy basis, but on
a purely commercial basis. They can
plant it and raise something of ire
mendous value. They can sell it out
a spoonful in a place for tremend-
Gus profit. hence it was good invest
ment on either count.
Wheat Worth $1O4 a Peck
One peck of high bred wheat sold
in the same way, brought $104, and
it was worth it commercially. That
wheat had pedigree and it is known
just what can be done with it.
Corn At $3.50 an Ear
A group of ten ears of corn sold
at $3.50 an ear, and such was It's
value that it was kept in glass jars
and the jars fastened down so nobody
could walk away with them. They
were more in demand than money,
and it would have been common cal
amity to have lost them by being des-
troyed or used for hog feed instead
of being planted and cared for under
favorable conditions that guarantee to