The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-14
MONSTER CORN
CROP EXPECTED
Farmers Plant for Three Billion
Crop for l9l0-Modern Methods
Are Adopted.
WHAT ACRE or cons co,rs,
by ThOS. r. kiSER.

KANSAS CITY. Mo, April l3.-To-
day million farmers and more IN thu
great American corn belt have started
upon wonderful campaign
riowing the ground sowing the seed
and planning for next fall the recor
rop OF 1900 000u00 bushels OF corn,
valued at 500. 500 00t, 600
More corn to the acre." That's
the campaign cry OF the corn belt.
Which means: No more haphazar6
planting; no more neglect OF the soil,
no more Door seed.
The lesson has been driven home at
last. Everywhere in this country the
farmer VINO has secured the best seed,
fed his SOIL well and titled the growing
acres scientifically, has had much big
ger crops that his neighbor who did u
all in the cid way And SO the neigh
boz has come To- IT, .ens of thousands
oi them 0s the story OF this springs
planting shows.
The best example Of the new, for
tune-making farming ! found in john
son county. Ind ON the farm OF Leon
ard b. Glove, corn king OF the world,
winner of more medals and cups for
corn flua.ity than any other man in the
country founc min in his corn iiel1,
directing the plowins force. The corn
Hing" is now In his fortythird year
broad-shouldered man with pleasant
face and manner. He isn't corn
king because OF his large production.
for be nas )nly l2S acres. but because
Of the a.. that he gets more kernels
upon t.. ear ana more ears 10 the
slalk than any ether corn grower or
Garth.
Anybody can raise some Kind OF
corn he told me but when We see
The fat fields Of the thrifty farmer. the
Hrched neck aud noble bearing OF the
Well-bred horse, the fat, sleek cattle,
we cannot but realize that there Is
something in the principle OF breeding
end selection. Good corn is not an &c
CideDt Il is a development of seed,
assisted by scientific treatment Of the
coil"
From the little farm where quality
Is the thing sought for. | speedel
through the corn states. Everywhere,
.Ing Corn was coming into his own.
Millions and millions of acres were
being broken up, the pillow everywhere
rad the right of way. In few Ia
yureG places the seed was going in.
The farms back east looked more
like truck gardens after | mad been
ever the $4,000 acre farm of Dayii
Rankin, near Tarkio, Mo After ! had
talked with that S5-year-old corn raiser
and stock man in his little l0Sl0 office
rack OF the Tarluo bank, | began TO
understand how 1t was that America
raises more than three fourths OF all
Inc corn grown IN TIE world.
| began to see why We harvest near
~ four bushels of corn to every bushel
OF wheat, and why our corn crop last
year was worth three times us much
as our wheat crop. Wheat goes into
the family -four bin, while corn-S0'
per cent of it-comes to the table IN
the shape ri pork chops, steaks and
roasts That's how the corn farmer
gets biggest profits. And the more
bushels he can force out If his acres,
the more profits.
Rankin has farmed for more than
90 years But he has not tarmed the
way most farmers farm, for when 1
asked him "Fow many bushels OF corn
will YOU sell this fall? he stared in o
manner that fully expressed his pity
for my ignorance.
Sell" replied the biggest farmer in
Missouri, why | don't sell corn by
the bushel | sell IT by the hundred
weight OF meat at the Omaha and Chi
cago stockyards. | am planting 5000
acres OF corn right now and III have
TO buy corn to get all my steers into
shape this fall.
Two hundred horses and mules,
nearly as many men, all bossed by
Rankin. are blowing the ground. Upon
one Of his corn fields a 6.t00-acre field
the largest corn field in the world
| saw 40 big plows turning the stubble
under; as many harrows following
closely; and scores of men ready TO
place the corn seed i'm the thousands
OF rows.
What" asked Abner Funk, who
owns five large farms near Blooming
ton. Ill. and who is the largest corn
raiser i'm Illinois. the king pin corn
state of them ALL what makes good
corn producer"
Well" replied he In LIS l.000-acre
corn field. good seed, NEST OF all,
plenty Of contented help, and a knowl-
edge OF the best time to plant and
cultivate"
That's why they expect that the
corn crop OF 264S O00,CJ0 bushels last
year will be exceeded by 100000.
600 crop this year