The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-05

What About the Contests For

Editor Richmond Nirginian'
sir-There is much clamor and strife IN these
DAYS of progressive farming in regard 10 p'iA
offered by the various organizations Iot ssortns
greatest yield of corn per acre. nc ne oIe nn5
OF these prizes in itself, Is a goou .ilii,9 &c
when the contest is conducted so as TO p'ne
not only the individual but the "hoie so'i ~
munty. 1t Is indeed worthy OF the supl t,ast,on
tho State and the nation When TINS qut9AV -.
ia carefully analysed and studied however J..
will be evident to every thoughttui mini t
the general tendency Is TO eonaa reat nroat to
the individual but nothing to the genera pun
lie ANY farmer knows that ne can S'ne %
we'll bred calf and give him the mix Oh lh!es
cows and the best and most carefuhy seiecteu
feed that he can be induced to eat without any
regard to cost and produce unusual oeVeloph .,
and growth. What lesson does TINS teaei ti.e
farrer who knows the price OF milk and 1000
stuff and who is raising stock to proVoe d pe'-
ter market for his grain and grass tnaf ne e,lI
get in any other way? Inc same Iedsoi .,
win annIy to corn growing. Why not give the
boy the prize who produces the largest amount
of corn per acre for the least cost! we an KNOW
by the use of fertilizer and labor resaroiess
Of cost that we can raise maximum crops OF
grain of every kind and thus secure piiAes,
but what benefit Is 1t to the farmer "io -
not drawing a salary from the State or ma
tional government and who has to far1n lot
profit SO as to support his family ana euucate
his children, with no income oaher li ra W.
he produces on his farm? ''Waiaces FARMER
one of the best and most reliable farm papers
in the United States in discussing this SUBJECT
ma the views or thousands OIL IdTiHeis'
who have given this subject tnoughuul ana pa
teal consideration. We cnote as follows;
TT is quite easy to grow great Yield OF corn
anywhere that the corn will grow. provided that
n ia husked earIye nough, when the yield Is a
mixture of corn and water, the latter IN pro-
portion that would make the crop practically
useless for any immediate purpose we remern-
Der when boy on reading OF prize gwen
for an acre of corn of $50 bushels in section
where the ordinary corn crop 3lnaaTr Inc 1bsst
farming seldom produced over fifty bushels Ihe
| huSked
September which meant that 1t was hair water
1--WE are exceedingly skeptical when we read
of Yields of corn from ITO to 200 bushels per
acre. especially IL grown in sections Of the coun-
try where the average yield of corn is twenty
five bushels or less. We feel sure that either
tho measurement has been wrong tand 1t IS
easy to cheat in the measurement of an acre)
or there has been an undue amount OF water
In it. or it has been produced at expense
| that gives chance OF prott except IN the
| glory and the sale of the seed.
I'VE think that the New England contest
has set an example which should be initiated
| by all other corn contests in giving awards for
yields per There are some rather In
teresting things about this, which illustrate what
we want to say. In this contest the awards were
| over IL per cent. of moisture. or, to their
own description, 'orb dry corn. The field was
measured, the corn weighed by a commit
tee; then each contestant furnished nifty pound
sample of weighed at the time the crop
was harvested. These samples We're air-dryed.
weighed again, shelled and the percentage of
corn to cob was determined. Then samples OF
shelled corn were sent to the Massachusetts Ex-
pertinent Station where they tested for
moisture, and from the results the amount of
shelled containing IL per cent of rnois-
| tuie crib-dry figured. In other words in
asmuch No. corn contains IL per cent or
moisture. this determines the actual amount
| OF food value in this honest sample of corn
Now let US see what occurred One con-
tegant showed at harvest time ye,d of 141
bushels per acre; but when sub ected to this
,est to ascertain the real food vaiuc, it shranl
! to % bushels. nearly one-half Another sample
/ in the test contained 70 per cent. of
water and cob at harvest time. In fact the
per cent of water and cob in twenty two sam
pies of flint corn, varied from S4 per cent. to
/ 70. in dent corn from A. to Sc per cent.
This comedies with our test In small way
for several years past In our office. Farmers in
! the fall of the year. when corn Is fit to cut
and put in shock, often bring In some mag
nifcent looking ears of corn. We have been in
the ha bit of Weighing and measuring these and
then hanging them up in office, and in the
course of q month or two weighing them again
We have not kept records. for were not
carrying on a scientific experiment; but the
shrinkage in tha length OF the has been
1 about ten per cent. and of course a corresponds
/ ing shrink in the circumference. and. in the
| weight around 40 per cent. II is well enough
/ in the future when deciding on these great Yields
| to insist that know the actual feeding value.
which can be done easily oy the methods adopt
| ed in Massachusetts.
Again 1t Is quite as important TO know the
/ actual cost of production both in labor and in
fertilizers. There IL many a farmer who pro-
| duces ten bushels per acre less than his land Is
CAPABLE OF producing, through skimping in labor.
| dollar an acre more might have added Ave
! or ten bushels to the CROP 1t is important
| to know the methods by which any prize crop
| of corn has been cultivated. Again it is inn
| portaut to know the expense In the way OF fer
tilizer The ultimate objects of these contests
whatever may be the motive of the Individual
should be the education Of the farmer. and