Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-05-29
Demonstration Work.

The Agricultural association will
conduct a considerable number of
demonstrations this year principally
! in testing out different varieties OF
corn. 1t has been the practice in the
past of many farmers to plant large
Varieties of silage corn irrespective
of whether or not that corn will come
anywhere near maturity at corn cut
ting time. To know what varieties
are best adapted to our climate here
in Orleans county is mighty lmpor-
tant. Hence the reason for spending
considerable time with corn variety
demonstrations.
Nearly all these corn variety tests
have been arranged for already. An
effort has been made to scatter the
demonstration plots well over the
county and also to take in the hill
farms as we'll as the valley farms. 1t
will pay every farmer in the county
| to look up the demonstration plot
nearest his farm and visit it several
times during the summer so that ne
may see the difference in growth OF
different varieties of corn. A full
list of the demonstration plots Will pc
published in the next issue OF the
Monitor.
The varieties of corn which will be
planted are all standard varieties.
Some of these varieties are largely
used in this county; some have prov
ed excellent varieties in other counties
and two varieties come from Wash
ington to be tried out under our con-
ditions. Perhaps only part OF the
varieties used will prove of value IN
this county; perhaps all of them will
show up to advantage. At any rate,
it is worth while to know exactly
what varieties of corn are adapted to
this county and what are not. The
farmer who makes use of this lnfor-
nation will be far ahead of the other
fellow, who plods along in the same
old way.
Several men have asked, GLOW
much value will these demonstrations
be to Orleans county?" That is a
fair question. Suppose that these
demonstrations prove concluslvely
that one or two varieties of corn will
mature to the glazing stage in prac-
tically any kind of season we may
have here in Orleans county. The
average farmer of Orleans county at
present is growing corn that will not
develop beyond the milk stage and a
large amount of corn never comes as
near to maturity as this. If a ton
of silage in the glazed stage is worth
Sc, a ton of silage in the milk stage
is not worth over 81 and ton in the
silk stage is not worth over $2.65.
These are figures computed by Prof.
Story formerly professor of hus-
bandry at the state college of agri-
culture.
Here is farmer A, who makes use
of what the corn variety tests show
up this year and plants one of the
best varieties another year. This
variety natures to the glazed stage
and yields on the average IL tons per
acre. Farmer B always planted big
silage corn and he does not believe it
pays to plant what has proved the
| best type of silage corn. The variety
he plants may yield little more to
the acre-say Is tons-but only ma
lures to the milk stage. We will say
that both of these farmers plant 10
acres of corn. When the corn is har-
vested and the values of the corn
grown computed, each man would
have a financial statement with his
corn crop something as follows:
FARMER A
10 acres at IL tons per acre, 100 tons
! silage
12O tons (silage glazed) at Sc per
ton, $720.
FARMER B
10 acres at Is tons per acre, $50 tons
silage
$50 tons (silage in milk stage) at 81
5000.
Difference in favor of Farmer A $12O
1t is a dollars and cents proposition
for each farmer to know what vari-
ETY. corn to grow. Every ton Of ST.
lage grown must be sold to the cows
and the milk flow will tell whether it
is 81 or $6 silage. Below is given a
list of the varieties to be tried out:
Early Yellow Dent
Mammoth Yellow Flint
Improved Leaning
Sweepstakes
Mammoth White Dent
Burlington 90-day Dent
Davis Flint
Minnesota No. 13
Luce's Favorite
| Sanford
| Oil Dent
U. S. Selection 1913
Davis Flint and Minnesota No. 10
are two varieties that gave excellent
results on corn variety tests in Wash
| ington county last year. Luce's
Favorite showed up well in Addison
county and Oil Dent and U. S. Selec-
ton 1913 are two new varieties which
have shown up we'll in New York
state but not as far north as this.
A number Of soy bean demonstra-
tions will be run. In the fall at har-
vesting time weights will be taken to
determine whether soy beans grown
with corn increase or decrease the
yield of corn; also how many tons of
soy beans may be grown on an acre
mixed with corn in this way.
This demonstration work should
|prove of much value to the farmers
of this county. By another fall it
will be possible to say how large a
yield may be expected from the use