Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-22
RAISING CORN. HIS HOBBY;
WINS 1921 CHAMPIONSHIP
j. W. Workman Victor After
Years of Careful Seed
Selection.
HAS NEVER SEEN PERFECT EAR
Planted IS Acres. which Yielded 81
bushels To Acre, All yellow
Dent.
tBy Associated Press.


SPRINGFIELD. ILL. Jan. 2i,-Rich
Indian dialect meant Land OF
Plenty" and long years OF careful
seed selection. produced tho corn this
year which brought Ia Illinois the
1921 grand champion sweepstakes
prize OF America.
Only country store. a grain Gle
vator. three farm houses and muddy
road mark Tia. railroad station OF
Maxwell. twcnty-thrcc miles south
west OF Springfield. where the ten ears
of yellow corn were raised which Won
the grand championship.
From the docrcpit railroad station
westward stretches the land OF j. w.
Workman producer of this champion
grain, the son ana grandson Of corn
growers. His corn was awarded the
championship in Chicago at the Inter
national Grain ami Hay show.
Years of careful seed selection. his
excellen; land. the rotation of corn
with alfalfa or clover pasture. arc
the three outstanding elements in his
success.
Farmers. about Workman's home
say the honor came OF hard work.
and his wife adds Enthusiasm that
kept him out Of bed at night while
all the rest OF us slept" pouring over
his grains with the same rapture that
holds mlser.
I'm crank" Mr.. Workman said.
"Tou can't raise prize corn for
twenty-five years and not be IL crank. :"
Yet for all his corn-gr"wns ami
prizewlnnlng he has never seen n
perfect ear uf corn.
Never" he said. have ! seen
perfect ear. Not one az the ten ears
] sent to Chicago WAS perfect. An |
could do was take the Very best
had and hope they would stand up
beside the others. In evcry ear |
could see impcrfection.''
OF his i30 acres in the Maxwell
farm, only fifty-threG We're IN corr
this year. They yielded scventy-five
bushels an acre. all yellow dent. That
was picked over ut first by MIR. Work
man and his son. Rome Workman.
who, his mother says. lis almost as
bad as his pa about corn" That
yield offered several bushels OF
SHOW corn" Then by the midnight
oil, MIR. Workman with his Keen eye
for imperfections eliminated all hut
fifty ears, which were sent 10 the
international show.
In the regional contest with Kan
sns, Missouri. kcnucky, West Vir-
gln!a. Virginia. Maryland, Delaware.
and Southern parts OF Illinois. In,ii-
ana, and Ohio. he won first for yell
low corn: then took the highest re
gional prize for any kind Of corn
from the holder OF the best white
norn. which was from Missouri rar..
he entered the sweepstakes u
best ten ears won.
Il have seen him down on all
fours," one ncighbor said. picking
his seed, grain 10y grain. rullinr on,
tina, which lie felt fell below hi.
standard. He would spread a hi.
tarpaulin, pour the grain upon II
and ,hen get down with It,"
Corn should not be planted for
more Than five years In Succession
la the same land" Mr. Workman
said. His custom is To raise corn +,
a parcel Of land four or five wears
and then TO plant !, in alfalfa and
clover and make ii pasture land FOR
ten or twelve years, renewing tn.
land.
Best corn never comes the frs,
year" Mr.. Workman declared. Corn
that won he championship came from,
ground that was in its second year
OF corn"