The Oskaloosa herald., 1910-02-03
COLLEGE TO TEST
SEED CORN FREE
Loss Will Be Greater the Coming
Season Than For Years.
THEY DID CoNFlscATE COAL
Railroad Commissioners Making Thor.
oush lnvestisation--LNely Times
at Next Meeting OF Iowa Fed.
GRAFTON OF Labor.
Bureau Iowa Evening Press,
Des Moines. Feb. l, 1910.

er the coming season than in many
years unless active measures are TAX
en- to prevent it. The poor condition
of seed corn is due largely to The
heavy rains in the fall which filled
the ears with. water, and then the
early hard freeze which followed.
Tests made at the State Corn Show
held at Des iMoines, and at the Col
lege Corn Show held at Ames few
weeks ago, show a startling condition.
Samples which were the very best in
appearance, and which often came
from our best seed corn men, were
entirely dead; and very many were
weak and unreliable for seed pur-
poses.
In order to help Iowa farmers to Sc
cure good seed corn, the Agricultural
College is Offering to test free o:
charge, all samples of corn sent
them, thereby making it possible for
every farmer to know definitely
whether or not his corn is safe to
plant. Care should be taken in the
selection of this sample for test, in
order that it may represent accurate
ly. the true condition of the seed sup
ply. ,.#
Make up the sample as follows:
Select average ears at random from
the entire lot of seed, or at least in
so-far as this is practicable. From
each of the ears so selected, remove
with knife two kernels, one from
each side of the ear. Place all OF
these kernels in a strong envelope or
small sack, and5smail to the Farm
Crops Department, Ames, Iowa, for a
termination test. Send with this
corn a statement of the amount of
seed you have, when it was gathered
and how it was stored.
1t is quite probable much of the
corn from the 1908 crop will be bet
ter for seed than that grown in 1909.
Those who have any old corn should
send samples of this also, picking out
the sample as already indicated, and
accompanying 1t with a statement OF
the amount, condition, etc.
AS there will bee a large amount OF
this work to bee done, the samples
should be sent as soon as possible to
the Farm Crops Department, Ames,
Iowa. The Department will mail a re-
port of each test at the earliest date
possible. Eaa7
- - -
~ ;ntn EOdoy InI,,, ~
chairman of the state board of con-
troll, declared that the lack of seed
corn which is sure to be felt next
spring, causing big rise in price, is
due entirely to the lack of business
methods on the farm and lack OF
chat enthusiasm for farm work which
men put into other kinds OF work
He declared that because the climate
and soil are favorable to good crops
the farmers of Iowa refuse to give
proper attention to the selection OF
seed. He says that seed corn must be
selected not later than the first OF DC
tober; that instead of using the small
potatoes which are too small to be
pared, the farmers should use theil
largest and best potatoes for seed
Finally, he says that every farmer
should use a tanning mill on his oats
blowing the lighter grains away ant
advocates the collection of three
times as much seed as is needed ant
then the gradual culling out OF the
poorer quality of the choice seed. II
this way, and this way alone, ne de
clares that there will be plenty o
first class seed corn at all OF tht
state institutions next spring. HI
looks for a big advance in the price
of seed corn by spring.
| - - -
The confession OF w. S. Baird, gen
eral manager OF the Minneapolis AM
st. Louis Railroad company, made t
the state railroad commission that hi
railroad did in fact confiscate Goa
during the period when the FAMINE
was at its worst, has led the mem
bers of the commission to believ'
that II the facts were known, othe
roads were guilty of the same prac
tice, and this Notwithstanding tn,
fact that every road has informed tn
commission that they did not con
| fiscate a car Of coal during the en-
tire trouble. Among the roads so re
porting was the road which now con
fesses that it did confscate the coal
The commission Is making Thorough
Investigation to determine how niue
coal, ordered by the dealers TO reiiev
the suffering people, was in fact ocr
fiscated by the railroads during tn
famine. Whether or not the commits
sion will take any action against tn
railroads for such confscation Is no
known. Probably 1t will not as ther
Is no way 1t can compel the roads Z
give back the coal taken. However
the confession of one road has pu
the commission on it's guard an
should another shortage occur befor
the tie-up in April, the commissio
Twill be prepared to handle the situ'
ton with a much clearer mowleds
OF the practices Of railroads In thes
lmatters.
IL