The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-02-09

PoiHIs Oh Vltal interest to the
farmer have been. quite thorough .
ly discussed. .
. . . . sass
The second Red river valley corn
ana clover convention has been sue
cessiul beyond the dreams of the
most enthusiastic. Every session
since the opening of the convention
Tuesday morning has been marked
with a large attendance Of farmers
and that a keen interest is taken in
the proceedings Is manifested by the
way the crowds throng to the front
seats and ply the speakers with ques-
ttons Of moment to the farmer.
" Today's sessions showed no abate-
ment in the attendance or the inter-
est. Long before! the opening Of the
program this morning crowds were in
attendance at the auditorium. While
some would devote their time to in
specting the exhibit Of grains and
grasses, others would gather in, small
groups and discuss farming problems.
In. this way q great. deal has been
learned outside 6f the actual talks
from the platform. = ~te.ze
Morning Session.
. In opening the meeting Chairman
Bacon announced that Prof. T. A.
Hoverstad, superintendent of farmers
institutes in North Dakota. would take
part in the program during the bal
ance Of the convention. The applause
that greeted this announcement was
in itself a fine tribute to the work Mr..
Hoverstad is and has been doing in
North Dakota:
Prof A. B. Hess of Larimore ad-
dressed the session on Practical Ex-
periments in Corn Growing in Grand
Forks County" Mr.. Hess is without
doubt one Of the very best authorities
on corn culture in North Dakota.
While he is thoroughly familiar with
the scientific side of corn culture his
address, as indicated in the text. was
confined almost exclusively to the re-
lating of personal experiences with
raising corn in Grand Forks county.
Prof. Hess address was as follows:
Prof. Hess Address.
Successful corn growing depends
upon principles that are interesting
and positive. In order to produce q
reasonable crop of corn in this lati-
tude we must first consider the phys
biographical features of our farm, and
under this head comes the exacting
study Of our soil both from the view
point and it's physical condition.
The temperature Of our locality
the prevailing winds during the grow.
ing season, the precipitation (annual
and during the growing season) and
the temperature Of the nights during
July and August are factors that de.
termine the kind. frequency and ma
ture Of the cultivation. Those things
coupled with good seed raised in our
community determine the character
of the corn we shall produce. Many
of these conditions may be altered
and made to fit those beyond our
control such as moisture and tenn
perature. True. we cannot determine
the precipitation but we can regulate
and conserve that which does fall.
II. then, we have the soil. the sun
shine. the moisture, and a growing
season Of 100 days with warm nights
during July and August we certainly
ought to be able to learn how to cul-
tivate that soil In order to produce
a reasonable crop. The soils Of the
Red river and Elk valleys possess
abundant quantities Of nitrates and
salts to produce good stalk of corn
with a low percentage Of fiber OF
woody structure. On this stalk may
be produced a rather small ear OF
corn with fairly deep kernels which
are inclined to possess high per-
centage of protein and fats but a
lower percentage Of starch. The
.k> 90 L. III
forage for stock: either field cured
or in the form Of ensilage it is worth
today at least $500 per ton and
fortunate indeed was the farmer who
had even few acres of corn for his
stock this winter. Then 1t is valuable
too, because it is more sure than
any other forage crop. This state
ment will be borne out by our rather
painful experiences of the past dry
year.