The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-05-05
IMPORTANCE OF
LITTLE THINGS
SHOWN BY CORN
Prof. P. G. Holden Of Ames Col
Iege Tells How Little Care May
Increase Crops Millions Of
Bushels in Iowa this Fall.

That little cares may bring almost
fairylike benefits is strikingly illus
trated in recent remarks by Professor
P. G. Holden of the State Agriculture.
al college at Ames, when he showed
that just few good ears in place of
bad ones on each farm means an in
crease in millions of bushels at har.
vent time.
Mr.. Holden recently said, THE col
lege has tested more than 5000 sam
pies of corn representing every coun-
ty in the state. AS result of these
tests We find that on an average there
is not more than SO per cent Of the
seed that is strong and really fit to
plant. The only safe way to be sure
of having good seed is to test every
ear. If every ear Of corn could be
tested and the worthless ones dis
carded, it would add not less than
ten bushels per acre to the net years
crop. In Story county alone, where
100000 acres is planted annually to
corn, this would mean an increase
VI 1,ooO,UOV puohOlS anu NOl Ill az
present prices 100000. The import
ance of the question is apparent when
we realize that there are SO counties
in the state, each growing on an aver
age 5000 acres of corn.
The testing of seed is. purely a
business proposition We cannot af-
ford to guess that the 800 kernels
On an ear will grow when we can find
out, at almost absolutely no expense.
knitting corn is not safe test for
many ears that will prove good by
this test will not develop enough VI
tality to bring forth strong plants in
the field, and if there comes a cold
spell and the ground is damp and
cold they will refuse to grow. At least
six or eight kernels should be taken
| from different parts of the ear for
| the test. This work of testing ought
to be done at the earliest possible
moment, so that those who do not
have enough seed corn of their own
may have time to secure it from some
of their neighbors. We plant On an
average of three kernels to each hill
in Iowa and if two of these stalks
should be destroyed, leaving only
one stalk to each hill, and this stalk
should bear medium ear, weighing
eleven ounces, we would have thirty
five bushels of corn to the acre, or
the average production of the state.
"There are, of course, many causes
that contribute to reduce the yield OF
corn, but there is no cause so great
and which can be so easily remedied
as poor seed, which either fails to
grow or produces weak stalks, bear
ing small ears or none at all Let me
give you an example of the import
ance of testing. In Mahaska county
the past year We secured samples of
seed corn from two different farmers
planter boxes at the time of planting.
These we planted side by side on a
county poor farm, three kernels per
hill and gave them the same. treat
ment throughout the season. When
harvested in the fall one mans corn
yielded at the rate of &c bushels to
the acre, the other mans at the rate
of So bushels, or difference of thir-
ty bushels. A bushel of seed corn
will plant on an average seven acres.
This would make difference of 210
bushels, worth at current prices, sos.
1t is apparent that the man whose
corn yielded but Sc bushels to the
acre could well have paid the other
man $105 for a bushel of his corn to
take the place of the seed which he
did plant"