Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-21
BIG PROBLEM AMONG IOWA FAR
MERs is QUESTION OF DIS
TRlBUTIoN.
COOPERATION AMONG
AGRicULTURisTs NECESSARY
Farmers Must Get Together and Pro-
vide Themselves With Seed by Max
ing Equitable Distribution - Anes
College Completes Seed Corn Survey
of State and Announces Results.

Ames. Jan. 21.-It is almost certain
that there is corn enough of good quail
ity. IN the state of Iowa to furnish seed
for the 1916 crop, but the problem is
to get that corn into the hands of the
farmers who need it.
These are the two facts determined
by a seed corn survey being made by
the farm crops department of Iowa
State College, in which careful sur
veys Of representative localities show
that even in the northern part of the
state the farmers themselves have the
seed corn they need if some way can
be found of distributing it.
The surveys reveal one thing, one
most important thing:
The future OF IoHa's 1916 corn crop
rests with the rag DOLL The farm
eTs them selves can make or mar their
corn crop now. 1, depends on whether
or not they make the simple, efficient
rag rolf test of their seed. Accord
ing to Prof H. D. Hughes, head Of
the farm crops division, the surveys,
which have been made under his di-
rection. set at rest the worry over
whether Iowa can furnish her own
seed, but at the same time they en-
phaSiZe the need of cooperation
among the farmers in getting their
surplus seed into the hands of the men
who need 1t. and they fully justify the
corn clearing house work and the rag
doll test propaganda which the agri-
cultural extension department has been
carrying on for the past two months.
The thing for the farmers to do IS
to depend upon themselves" said Pro-
fessor Hughes. Right now. I presume.
there are lots OF agents driving thru
the country taking orders for seed
corn. Usually these men represent
fiy-by-nlght houses. firms with no
reputation and no backing. For the
most part their corn is not adapted to
the locality in which it is sold. The
farmer has no means of knowing
where ii comes from. nor how strong
in termination It is Our experience
has shown that corn, can not be
shipped over fifty miles in any direc-
ton with good results the first year in
the new location"
Results OF the surveys.
The results of the surveys are most
interesting and significant. In each
case a special investigator was sent
out into the locality with directions to
visit from forty to sixty farms. just as
he came to them, to visit the cribs an
make selections of 100 ears OF corn
from each farm, the samples then be-
ing tested thoroughly for termination
At Algona the 1915 corn selected
for seed was found 65 per cent strong
in termination, 90 per cent weak and
10 per cent dead: weak meaning that
one of the six kernels from an ear
failed TO germinate In the same test
the 1914 corn was found 40 per cent
strong, 80 per cent weak and 80 per
cent dead One sample Of 1913 corn
was tested and went 100 per cent
strong The test on 1918 was not to
be taken as indicating real conditions,
however.
At Goldfeld thirty-nine samples OF
1915 corn put up indoors for seed were
found IS per cent strong, IA per cent
weak and s per cent dead. Eleven
samples taken from the 1915 cribs
showed IS per cent strong, loss OF
20 per cent in termination from lack
Of care. At Goldfeld fifty-four sam
pies OF 1914 corn showed AZ per cent
strong, 90 per cent weak and 3S per
cent dead.
In Muscatine county 1915 corn sam
pies showed 9S per cent termination
The 1914 crib samples from that coun-
~ vent 65 to 20 per cent strong and
10 per cent weak.
Conditions in Story county have not
been studied according to Professor
Hughes. but those in the college cror
for 1915 are indicative to some extent
Every week from Oct. to Dec. Is the
college picked 100 ears Of corn for
seed. That picked before the first
heavy frost shows a termination of 90
per cent. after the frost the germina
ton is but SO per cent strong. Tests
in individual ears run about SO pei
cent strong.
These tests show that the 1915 corr
is all right for seed. but that there Is
not enough of it. The average farm
er. according TO the survey. uses about
10 bushels of corn. He has an aver
age of So bushels of 1915 corn fol-
seed that tests strong. For the othei
tenth. or whatever else he may need,
saws Professor Hughes. he had better
use his corn that tests weak. He VII
lose less that way than by importing
seed corn from distance, and he will
take far less chance"
Similar reports come from the agri'
cultural extension department which !!
conducting seed corn campaigns II
half a dozen Iowa counties. In Cerrt
Gordo county $4,000 bushels of ole
corn was examined and $4,000 busheli
saved for seed. The tests ran abou
as those conducted by the farm crops
department. Similarly, Trinor, at {
short course, out of twenty-five farm
er's ten-ear samples Of 1915 corn ex
hfbited, so per cent tested strong,
| per cent weak and per cent dead.