El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-30

ME National Corn exposition opens
at Columbus Ohio, today. For
II days the prize exhibits from
the great corn growing states Of the
union will be displayed for the inspfr-
alton and encouragement Of the corn
growers of America. This exposition
is the fourth annual event Of rs
kind in america olrS Z is the
first exhibit that has been financed
and managed by the corn growers
themselves. Heretofore the cities in
which the shows have been held have
assumed the responsibility. Now the
growers, with the cooperation Of the
American Breeders association, are
aroused to the advantage OF creating
a national interest in lettering the
quality and the yield per acre of
Americas greatest crop, a crop which
for the year ending December. 1910.
was valued at more than one and
half billion dollars on the farm; crop
which aggregated more than three bill
lion, one hundred million bushels, or
nearly four and a half times as many
bushels as the yearly output OF wheat
Boy Farmers Represented.
One if the most interesting exhibits
at the Columbus show is that of the
champion boy corn growers of Amer
lea 1t was only short time ago
that the boy farmers paid a visit to
Washington and were received by
every mark of esteem by James Wilson,
secretary of agriculture. Leading the
delegation OF boy corn growers was
Jerry H. Moore. of Florence county,
South Carolina Jerry was the cham
pion among champions. for last sum-
mer he succeeded in raising 22S bush
o1c nd fhroa No Of on a sin gle
acre. which is within "a bushels of the
worlds record.
An important feature Of this meet
ing viii be the addresses, the illustrat-
ed lectures and discussions setting
forth what can be and should be done
In the near future. Three days Of the
exposition will be devoted almost ex-
clusively to the sessions of the Ameri-
can Breeders association, whose work
is the Improvement of animal and plant
life long lines of heredity and seq
regation. Scientists estimate that
through the breeders art, ten percent
may be added annually Id the value Ct
our plant products. This would mean
an increase Of more than $3.50. 000. 600
in our annual corn crop alone. To
show that these estimates are not
purely imaginative, concrete exam
pie may be given in the work which
mas DSSu accomplished Dy W. NJ I1d3 D
now assistant secretary of the depart
ment of agriculture in Washington
For a number Of years Mr.. Hays was
engaged in a great work IN the agri-
cultural experiment station of Mime
sofa There he succeeded in creating
a corn seed variety which broadened
the corn-belt for more than so miles
Minnesota has spent $4,000 at its ag-
riculturaI station, and the estimated
Increased production of corn, wheat
oats, flax and barley resulted in the
astounding total of $40,000.000, or a
thousand-fold on the investment
Improving the Quality.
The process Of improving the strains
! and quality OF corn and other cereals
is long and Iaborious operation, in
volving cross breeding, selection and
segregation Sometimes 1t takes ten
years to develop a single variety Of
corn to its full yielding power, but
once the propagation is completed, with
| ordinary care to prevent pulling
down process by mixing with inferior
| grains, the world is permanently en-
riched.
The vast field for Improvement in
| the yielding power of the seed plant
and in the methods of cultivation are
! wildly set forth by a comparison Of
I
South Carolina and the average yield
per acre throughout the country. For
1910 the general average was PA
bushels, less than one-eighth the
j .lmount produced by Jerry Moore. Yet
1910, with two exceptions-2S.S bushels
I in 1905 and 1913 bushels in 1906-show-
ed the highest yield since 1900. and
! higher than the percentage for any ten
year period since the civil war. If the
+; increase this year in yield per acre is
as large as 1910 was over 1909. the crop
will be greater by more than 100000
900 bushels which, at the avera ge val.
ue Of the grain on the farm last year
Will mean an Increase of 500, 600, 000
in corn production.
| Choice of Seed Important.
The increase in the corn yield of the
country depends very largely upon the
J grain selected for seed. In an effort to
foster an intelligent choice OF seed.
governor Eberhardt OF Minnesota last
fall issued a proclamation which will
| in all probability be followed by other
executives this year. He set apart one
week in September as seed corn
week" This was a revival OF an an
icent religious rite of the Zuni Mayas
and Aztecs, and while the proclamation
/ did not have the hold upon the planters
| that the religious festival of ancient
| tribal days had upon the indian grow
ers, the suggestion was along the same
! line as the nationwide movement on
! the part of rural schools. agricultural
high schools. collegiate short courses
| for farmers, and farmers extension
| departments to teach the selection Of
seed corn. To plant more than 100,-
| Co., 900 acres this year required a
/