The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1921-09-23
By J.. G. Haney, Agricultural Extension Department
International Harvester Company

There has not been a year in the
past ten that has so strongly empha-
sized the value and Importance of
corn in the northwest, as the season
which is just closing.
After taking a trip of over 1900
miles through North and South Da-
kota and Minnesota, we are more i'm
pressed than ever with the fact that
corr must come to be a staple crop
in this region. In central and southern
North Dakota, where thousands of
acres have not been harvested at all,
the corn is making a most excellent
showing. There is not, in this whole
district, a single place where corn is
not making good, while in nearly
every vicinity we saw fields Of grain
that were practically worthless.
The farmers who had part of his
land in corn, and has livestock on the
farm to feed it to-, is in much better
shape than the farmer who is depend
ent entirely on small grain, and has
nothing to show for his summers
work, unless it is the expense incurred
in growing the crop. We have heard
farmers say that they are thousands
of dollars worse off than if they had
not put in an acre Of grain.
While it is to be expected that there
will be occasional years when corn
will not respond as satisfactorily as
it has during the present season, in
the nine years during which we have
been conducting our demonstration
farms at Grand Forks, N. Oak, and
Aberdeen, S. Dak., we have no failed
a single year to ave seed corn.
We do not urge the growing of corn
with the idea of it taking the place
of small grain, as the cash crop, but
we do believe that on every farm corn
should be grown to feed to livestock,
SO that some Of the fertility taken
from the soil can be returned, and
make it possible to grow better grain
crops Clean corr land is a good in
surance for small grain crop.
Our observation and experience in
dictates that if one-half to two-thirds
Of the land were seeded to corn and
alfalfa, and a systematic rotation of
crops followed, it would be possible
to raise almost as much grain on one
half to one-third Of the land now
seeded to small grains in the north
west.
Our Minnesota No. 10 corr at Grand
Forks is good for between 80 and 40
bushels of dry corr per acre. Our
Marquis wheat is yielding only 10
bushels to the acre. This makes the
corn a much better proposition. With
the exception of what we ave for
seed corn, we will feed this all to stock
on the farm.
Save Seed Corn.
We believe that no more important
matter can be called to the attention
of the farmer than the gathering of
sed corn, and there is no better seed
corn for your farm, or your neighbours,
than that which is grown on your
farm, and properly selected SO as to
retain the proper size, the shape of
ear, depth Of kernel, stalk, ETC., the
better it is for your farm. We have
made it a practice every year we have
farmed in North Dakota, to go into
the field, with a sack over u should
er, and select a few bushels of the best
of the ears for u seed corn patch.
In fact, we usually select enough to
plant practically the entire area we
devote to corn. The bulk of the seed
corn which we have we sell to our
neighbors. We leave this until it is
practically ripe, then husk it out into
the wagon, similar to the way they do
in the real corn countries. This is a
matter which no farmer should neglect.
He should get into the field before
freezing weather and select the seed