Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-03
what constitutes a good stand
Thy X. A. 4

corn! 81 ~ ;s.als ~
The above is question when is
quite hard to handle satisfactorily IN
q general way. 1t will depend upon the
character of the soil as to how this
nuestion should be answered After
falkinpsto a great many farmers In this
districtaI have found that the opinions
vary. Three stalks to the hill, the MUS
check-rowed about three and one-nal1
feet each way, is common practce'
But some growers have said they 90
not want more than two stalks to the
hill and a few have said they would
II like to have only one. On the heavy
j lack soil Of this county, If a field has
heen taken care of as regards It's Ter
tility. 1T seems that there should be no
question whatever but that three or
four stalks per hill should succeed very
we'll On lighter soils and on the clay
bluffs possibly two or two and q halr
stocks per hill would be more desir.
able The two and half stalk hill
would he the average gotten by drop
/ ping two in one hill and three In the
next.
Granted that we have decided the
number we wish in each hill of corn,
the next problem Is how to get them
there. The thought carried out In two
previous articles Of this weeks issue,
namely, that Of testing the individual
ears OF seed corn. constitutes the f1rst
step. Only good, thoroughly reliable
seed can give us the uniformity or
stand that is wanted. Following this is
the adjustment Of the planter and the
grading Of the seed corn to secure just
the right drop. Then there is the prob
lem Of insects, rodents and other
troubles that often come up to defeat
our aims in securing a good stand In
] the field. What we would like to have
fis such condition that when we go
into a.field in the latter part Of the sea-
son and count the hills we would find
every hill with the desired number of
stalks and each stalk growing splen-
did ear. ...
Are missing stalks complete loss?
There are a great many so-called
scientific farmers who argue that If ten
per cent of the stand is missing in
field and we get fifty bushels per acre,
had we by some means secured that
missing ten per cent we would secure
on the same acre full ten per cent
more yield. This Is somewhat of fall
4 lacy. It is undoubtedly true that when
one stalk Of corn is missed from the
hill, the remaining stalks grow some
what stronger and larger so loss OF
ten per cent of the stalks possible in a
perfect stand does not really mean a
full per cent loss in yield. This state
ment Is borne out Dy experience IN
some Of the experiment stations Of the
states. It may be said, however, that
the increase in yield from perfect
stand over IS, 80 or 80 per cent stand
is worth working for.
"Good Stands" Not Good Stands.
Many sincere growers are fooled each
year by the appearance Of field of
corn When passing along the road, one
is apt to judge stand Of corn much
better than it really is when he goes
into the field and begins to count the
stand. This has been the experience OF
the writer many times. A year ago last
summer, while conducting teachers
institute in town in southern Mime
sofa, about sixty people were allowed
to estimate the stand in certain field
OF corn. Some of these parties were
farmer boys and all Of them had had
more or less acquaintance with corn