Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-12-01
GROWS 100 BUSHELS
CORN ON ACRE LAND
WAYNE ROBINSON, CHAMPION
BOY CORN GROWER OF couN-
TY, TELLS HOW HE WON.
DESCRIBES HIS METHOD
IN ESSAY 10 COLLEGE
Modern Approved Practices of Corn
Growing Used BY 1s-Ysar-oId High
School Pupil Who Won Free Trip to
Can Francisco Fair-visld. Quality
and Essay Won Prize.

4 Few acres Of land in Marshall county
ever produced 100 bushels of corn
| That amount Of shelled corn and a
little more, 1908 bushels TO De exact,
was grown this year on an acre by
Wayne A Robinson, aged Is. son OF
Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Robinson six miles
north Of the city. For the Quantity
ana quality Of the earn, and for the
Essay he wrote telling how he did II.
Wavne won a free trip to the exposi-
ton at San Francisco, that was offered
by, the Marshalltown State Bank as
arst prize for the county corn grow
ing contest
Wayne is now on his way west with
a company Of boys who Won in their
home counties. r, He will be gone TWO
weeks 1t will be a great experience
for him.
Cost ess Cents Per eusheI.
WAynes corn cost 2s.S cents per ou-
shell for him to produce al items Of
cost being included. The sample sub
raitted graded 66.4 per cent An es-
sential part Of the contest was an es-
say each boy was required 10 subIili |
to Iowa State College An,es, early IN the
he grew his corn. and what he had
learned from tie Contest.
Below the T.-R. reprints Wayne's
essay. Corn growers will recognize in
If "a recital Of all the essential ie-
tails Of growing a big crop Of good
corn. The essay was written before
the corn was gathered.
Hho.x Made Ny Crop
IT became interested in the corn club
work when the township leader called
Upon me and tried to get me to join
the corn club ard attempt TO win the
county prize. IN a few days I decided
to Join the corn club. There was a
meeting at the promotsr's home one
evening TO which all the boys that were
interested were to go and enroll I
enrolled and from that time on my en-
thusiasin has increased. Ny sole
thought was In winning that prize
which is trip to the San Francisco
exboeitiou. but later began 70 realize
that the prize was not the only thing
70 Be gained. The education and the
experience came to have an equal
stand with my first anticipation
THE object Of the Boys' Corn Club
is TO demonstrate what can be done
n the way Of better corn production.
To show that more corn per acre can
be raised at less cost per bushel than
is being done at the present time by
the average farmer.
Life History Of Corn.
The life history Of corn is rather
simple. II kernel Of corn be placed
in the ground, in the spring Of the
year and the conditions are right
termination begins A tender stalk
comes thru the ground in few days
which rapidly develops into a strong
pithy stalk. An ear starts out from
the stalk ard silks develop. A tassel
grows out from the top Of the stalk and
pollen develops The pollen than falls
from the ta&sel to the silks and fer
tiEzss tie kernels O, the ear. The
ear, .hes natures and each kernel is
ready tofde the same as its parent
- Seed Tested ia Water.
i The 4sesf used in planting my etut
pIot -vas just some Of the iced tina,
was intended to be used in planting
the rest ct. the field. Holden's water
method was used IN testing the corn
rhe ears were placed in racks in rows
there being ten rows often ears each
One tray IN the tester holds the kernels
froGn the ears OF one Of the racks
SIX kernels are taken from each ca,
AID placed in 4 certain cup in the
tray. When the trays have all beer
filled, warm water u poured in them
until the kernels are covered. Tho va.
ter Is left on the corn four hours and
then d !s drawn off. A lamp heats the
foster and Il is supposed to keep il
abeut the Same temperature as thu
earth ia the spring. Sprouts soor
- ~
e1Ae Aays, the strength of the kernel.
can be told The ears are kept from
which FIVE and six healthy sprouts
showed in the tester.
etsnted on Blue Grass Sod. >.
The ground in my plot was old blue
tgEaes pasture Last year, and it was il
h,ne grass Tor thirteen years pre-.
cedi1g last year. The ground was
paDwed about Dec. !. 1914 My ple'
lies il = strip acroes a forty-acre field
& AID 80 It received the same preparation
Tor Wanting as the rest did. The whole
fA was double disced twice and Their
Ia. rdwed. first planted my plot a:
TaS remainder OF the field was planted
Il It is the rows were three and one
~ feet apart each way then
i straddled every other rev with TIE
planter making the rows three feet
and one-hslf apart one way and one
foAt nine incheE apart the other way
4 and having three kernels in q hill
Their the field Fas narrowed
Weather Turned Bad
About the time the kernels had be
gun to; spFeut nicely series Of cole
~. 49, c:A.> sas..iea by cIeuAy
weataer which Altogether lasted abou
two weeks After that siege vas owe
the strength Of the kernels was great
~ lesSe1he1 ard only the strongest q
the Arst were able to live When hi
( shoots did come thru the surface they
wArA . very paik Hellow and also vart
weak.
After the frft shoots had been n,
flsfes OF four days SO that might rel
1there there Hsk not going to be an,
s11eets ee,ne thru. cook hand plant
4 Ar aAd lepdansed all the vacant hill.
3 ara those which had only ore sxaii
# vas "a tA4 last aa * Nag
or fur retis After the corn VA
Y - sseA that It WAS cultivated for tn,
= fit . .ssss rs :,e.e hasa e.ss. .:
xthe sf6und, and the corn was so small
d fAat het much could be done besides
Z: EreakinS ~ the crust It was neees
II sayy TO- cultivate the long way OF fhs
PHI ana that was between the narros
u 400 ~