Evening star., 1911-01-30
NATIONAL CORN EXPOSITION
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

The national corn exposition opens d'
Columbus, Ohio, today. For twelve
days the prize exhibits from the great
corn n-growing states of the Union will be
displayed for the inspiration and en-
couraEement of the corn growers OF
America This exposition is the fourth
annual event Of its kind in America, but
It 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 America S
greatest crop. a. crop which for the year
ending December, 1910. was valued at
more than S1,JOO,VOO.OOO on the farm: a
crop which aggregated more than 3,1OO.-
600, COO bushels, or nearly four and q half
times as many bushels as the yearly out
put of wheat.
One Of the most interesting exhibits at
the Columbus show is that of the cham
pion boy corn growers of America. 1t
was only a short time ago that the boy
farmers paid visit to Washington and
we're received with every mark Of esteem
by James Wilson, Secretary of Agricul-
ture Leading the delegation of boy corn
growers was Jerry III. Moore of Florence
county, S. c. Jerry was the champion
among champions, for last summer he
succeeded in raising 2oS bushels and 3
pecks Of corn on a single acre. which Is
within twenty-four bushels of the world s
record.
An important feature of this meeting
will be the addresses, the illustrated lee
lures and dis
Work of Breeders cussions setting
Of Vast Importance. and should be 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 along lines of heredity and segrega-
ton. Scientists estimate that through the
breeders art 10 per cent may be added
annually to the value Of our plant prod
ucts This would mean an increase Of
more than $4,000. 900 in our annual corn
crop alone. To show that these estimates
are not purely imaginative. a concrete
has been accomplished by w. NJ. Hays.
now assistant secretary of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture in Washington. For
a number of years Mr. Hays was en-
gagged in great work in the agricultural
experiment station of Minnesota. There
he succeeded in creating corn seed
variety which broadened the corn belt
for more than fifty miles through three
states. The state of Minnesota has spent
$4,000 at it's agricultural station. and
the estimated increased production of
corn, wheat, oats. fax and barley result
ed in the astounding total of >1v.0OO,OOO.
or a thousand fold on the investment.
The process of improving the strains
and quality Of corn and other cereals is
a long and laborious operation. involving
cross-breeding. selection and segregation.
Sometimes it takes ten years to develop
a single variety of corn to it's full yield
ing power, but once the propagation is
completed, with ordinary care to prevent
a pullng-down process by mixing with
inferior grains, the world is permanently
enriched.