South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-03-13
BY \. Il. LINDQUIST.

ltN Il H. LIN DNgN Isl. .
Indiana farmers produced 175
million bushels OF corn in 1919. thus
making it rank fifth in total corn
production in the United States last
year But though the total pro-
duction was heavy the yield per
acre was not so high and II IS this
which determines the farmers
net profit.
A large number Of HoOsier corn
growers have made good, they have
produced extraordinary yields of
high quality corn. But while this
has been going on. what has Mr..
Average Farmer been doing? He
is the fellow who determines Indi-
ana's total production and yield per
acre. lie determines her real rank
as corn producing state. He has
raised during the last ten years
acre Yields varying from 80 bushels
in 1914 and in 1913 TO 40 bushels
in 1912. The grand average is 36.2
bushels per acre. For ten years
prior 10 1910 the average yield was
34.7 bushels, so we have increased
our acre yield a bushel and a half
in ten years Hoosier farmers are
not particularly proud OF these lat
ter facts. They are seldom men
toned in public. II is much more
pleasant to discuss Corn Kings and
hundred bushel-to-th e-acre yields
Benefits of Testing
The benefits 10 be derived from
testing seed corn shallow and
thorough cultivation. rotation OF
crops and drainage are fairly we'll
known IL not universally practiced.
If. however. the soil is not naturally
or artifcially supplied with plenty
Of plantfoOd. much of the time
spent in preparing the soil. planting
and cultivaung the crop will be
wasted
Moreover. there are few soils in
Indiana that are naturally supplied
with sufficient available plantfood
for maximum crop production.
Where il is lacking there are two
WAYS in which II can be supplied.
first I'm manure and second IN COM
merical fertilizers.
Conserving Manure
II is of the utmost Importance
that the supply of manure be care
fully conserved and fully utilized
in crop production. u is very val
liable. being worth at least $500
per ton. L. O.. "a ton OF manure prop
erly applied Will produce that much
additional crop. Many men are op-
posed 10 adding any commercial
plantfood 10 the soil They say.
Use manure" and their advice is
good IL the manure could Toe OBJ
tanned But the supply of manure
is far from adequate Besides
manure is not balanced plantfoOd,
being weak i'm phosphoric acid.
Additional plantfood in the form
Of commercial fertilizers is neCes-
sary 20 maintain fertility and in
crease the yield per acre.
Checking Fertility.
The Indiana Experiment Station
checking the value of manure.
manure and lime. and manure, lime
and phOsphoriC at their field al
Bedford in 1917 obtained the follow
ing results.
Bushels Of corn per acre:
No treatment -........-. 32-l
Manure ........... %
Lime and manure ..............4S.
Lime manure and phoSphoriC
acid -..-.... ~
AT the Scottsburg they obtained
an increase of So bushels per acre
Of corn as ten year average from
This was in a three year rotation Of
wheat corn and clover.
Corn Fertilizers.
Corn fertilizers contain one. two
or three of the essential plantfoods
ammonia available phosphoric
acid and potash. Fertilizers are
generally known 10y their analysis
for example a ''2-I--2" which
means that this fertilizer contains
two per cent of ammonia. p per
cent available phosporic acid and
two per cent OF potash.
AZ the time when corn is planted
the soil is cold and low in available
ammonia. When the young root
let's begin 90 reach out for this
pIantfood and fail TO ind IL. growth
Immediately slows up. A corn fer
tilizer should therefore contain two
per cent ammonia except when the
soil Is very rich in vegetable mat
ter 20 supply this plautfood dur
ing those days and weeks when the
soil itself cannot furnish H. When
warm Weather comes along the soil
bacteria set 10 work and produce
sufficient ammonia 90 carry the
plant through the season
Potash is the plantfood which
aids starch formation and for this
reason IL helps 20 dl out the ears
and makes them big and heavy
The choice Of the amount Of potash
is Dependent largely on how much
, the soil can supply Sometimes the
soil can "do il alI' and sometimes
Ass much as eight per cent of this
Z utau-tood is needed
Lastly We must consider Lhs fer