The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1915-12-10

! ist, U. S. Dept. OF Agriculture.
| The chief object sought for in corn
culture, not only by corn club BOYS
but by every corn grower as well. is
the production OF the largest possible
yield per acre at the least cost of
production. To achieve this object
one must have and must do certain
things. They must have % Strong.
vigorous plants; (2) the proper num-
Der in each hill or row: 90 each
stalk must have at least one good
| ear.
To secure these there must be: %
food soil; t23 good seed; CD good
.illage.
| The soil must be filled with some
material which will increase its wa
.er-holding capacity, and, at the same
line, assist in converting the ele-
ments of plant food from a form in
which the crops cannot use them 10
an available form. These changes are
brought about by various acids which
are formed during the decay of or
!
or green manuring crops Hence all
boys are urged 10 sow winter cover
crop of rye. oats, wheat, or. better
still, crimson clover, bur clover, or
Netch.s according TO instructions in
letter No. CC209. already sent to all
1915 members. Boys are also urged
to take good care of the barnyard
manure and to apply on their acre
amounts depending upon the fertility
of the soil, usually from about five to
twenty loads of well rotted manure
The preparation of the seed bed
may also be mentioned in connection
with good SOIL for unless the soil
particles, which determine the phys
icaI condition OF the seed beds, are
well pulverized the food that is in
the soil cannot be readily obtained by
the plant Hence fall breaking of all
heavy clay soils from ten to fifteen
! inches deep is advocated. Sandy soils
may be turned in early spring TO n
better advantage. bat should have q
cover crop.
While the question OF good soil is
doubtless the most important of the
principles of corn growing, yet no
matter how good the soil, the largest
WELD cannot be secured from a poor
quality of seed The most important
character seed corn should possess
| is ability TO reproduce abundant
| ly good quantity of ears. There
are other desirable characters, how
ever, that good seed corn should pos
| possess.
An ear cylindrical in shape, we'll
rounded at each end, affords the larg-
est percentage of grain per cob, as
well as kernels OF the most uniform
shape 80 necessary in planting. The
| cob should be neither too large Ror
too small, possessing the property OF
drying quickly, giving it light weight
and healthy color. The kernels should
fit compactly together throughout the
| full length on both sides and edges.
and should be uniform in shape, size
and color. Length is a very desirable
character for kernels OF an ear to
| possess, as 1t is by increased length
in proportion to the diameter of the
cob that the percentage OF grain is
| increased A safe rule is that the
length of the kernel should be about
one-half the diameter of the cob. The
above points should guide in select
ing the ear. Equal care must be Civ
en- the individual stalk from which
the ear is taken. Let these points
guide as regards the stalk: "a Avoid
stalks having smut or other diseases;
(2) avoid stalks having suckers;
| (3) avoid stalks that have advantage
as to location; "a look for stalks
that are broad, fiat, having from II
to IA inch broad leaves; 60 look for
stalks having ears hanging down
ward with strong shank four or five
inches long.
This selection should be made in
the field after the corn is matured and
the corn should then be placed in a
dry. well ventilated place.
About all that can be said here re-
garding good cultivation is that one
must always bear in mind the objects
for which we cultivate, which are:
/ To destroy weeds or interior
ing vegetation.
2 To conserve moisture and admit
air.
Early, frequent, shallow, late and
where possible, level cultivation will.
ON well-prepared seed-beds and under
ordinary seasons, meet requirements
for good practice Good soil, good seed,
good tillage are the three fundamental
principles Of successful corn grswARS