Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-21
EXTENDS CORN AREA
New Discovery Pushes Belt
Much Farther North.
Experlmenters q. Minnesota Univsr
/ city Stumble Upon Way to Mako
! Grain terminate More Quick.
T. ly With Nitrobenxene.

Minneapolis, Minn.-Scientists at
the farm of the University OF Mime
sofa have announced discovery
which may result not only in vastly
increasing the corn production OF Min
nesota and other states but in ex'
tending the northern limit Of the corn
belt much nearer Hudson bay.
The announcement comes at time
when seed corn shortage is reported
to be particularly acute. Bank and
railroad officials of the Twin Cities
are trying to help farmers get seed
and prices are said to be as high as
IS q bushel, with prospects Of going
up to IS or SO by planting time.
II future tests sustain present indi'
cations of experiments carried on at
the university, every bushel of corn
planted may be made to send up more
sprouts and these sprouts may grow
so fast that several weeks may be
gained in the maturing time of the
kernel.
The discoveries believe they have
found, quite by accident. CONNER.
cially practicable method Of increas.
ing both the termination efficiency
and the termination rate of seed corn.
It came about in experimenting with
various insecticides to be used in
treating grains. ,
Prof. William Moore of the ento-
mology department and, Prof. H. K.
Hayes Of the agronomy department
have been working on fumigation proc.
esses for killing grain parasites. 1t
was important that termination quail.
ties Of grain treated should not be i'm
paired in fumigating, so they regular
~ checked paintings Of the treated
grain against paintings Of the un.
treated. .sf.
It was In connection with the use Of
nitrobenzene that they bumped into
the unexpected. They found that not
only was the grain not impaired for
seed purposes. but that 1t actually
was bettered. Corn seemed to thrive
on the fumes Of nitrobenzene. Not
only was the percentage of germina.
ton Increased by treatment. but the
rate Of termination also was speeded
up.Hts 5sa8 ..a.. raq ii
The. experimenters checked and re.
checked, again and again. with the
same results An experiment with
1911 corn, for instance, brought out
that the fumigated seeds sprouted
nearly two weeks before the unfumi.
gated. when planted at the same time,
and of the former about Is per cent
more kernels terminated than of the
latter.
I'VE are not saying that the treat.
ment will 30 result with all corn Pro-
lessor Moore said, AS our expert
ninnts have not gone far enough to
justify 20 sweeping a statement but
w6expectsto wind up the most signi-
hcantatHstr of all on the subject next
week, after which We shall have some
thing to announce
"Nitrobenzene is an oil. coal tar
derivative. Its price has been raised
somewhat by war causes. but it is
commercially obtainable. We fumi-
gate the corn by placing it in closed
box in which Is suspended cloth sat-
urated with the oil. The fumes do
the work.
I'VE think we'll enough of present
indications to make known our find
ings at this time. so that farmers who
are facing critical seed corn situa-
ton may try out the process II they
see at. ss&gE0l74 1eIsaf-..Gl
why does the treatment so affect
the corn? We haven't the slightest
idea. We only know that it has had
that effect with corn we have treat
ed"