The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-03-13
PLANT CORN EARLY
THIS EXPERT

~ LAME county has made rapi
strides during the last two o
three years in the growing o
corn. Farmers are all convinced tina
corn is n of the surest crops tina
can be raised with profit, not as
cash crop but as a basic feed crop
County Agent George Gustafson saiC
in a report issued recently. His re
port follows:
1--WE must remember, however
that the last two years have beer
better than the average for the pro
duction of orn and that we are go.
ing to have years when corn will not
produce as we'll. This need not
frighten us, however, because Iowa
and Illinois have years when theil
corn crop is far below the average
and even a failure. But even so there
is a lot of feed to be fed the hogs
and livestock and that is one of the
big features in growing corn.
Blaine county farmers have come
to realize that the best success in
growing corn will come from home
grown seed corn. Regardless of va
riety, this is one of the most import
ant points in growing corn. The
average corn must be acclimated to
our conditions before we can really
depend upon it and this can be done
only by growing it under our condi-
tions. Seed imported from other
states and even other sections of our
own state has not been acclimated.
Planting Time Important
"The time of planting is perhaps
as important as the seed. Too many
farmers of Blaine county spend all
their time seeding small grain in the
spring and leave cor planting until
the last. That usually means after
June 1 and very often after June
Is. This does not give the corn a
fair chance to mature. Most varie-
ties of corn require 100 to lis days
to mature under ideal conditions.
Some years they require more,
others less. Our average frost in the
fall comes about September IL. That
means that some years frost comes
about the last of August or Septem-
Der /. Hence corn should be plant
ed early enough to mature by Sep
TENDER 1 to be sure that it natures
before frost. That ia corn should
be planted not later than May 20.
What varieties should be planted
to be sure of mature corn and the
most feed? There are three varie-
ties that can be safely recommended
for any part of Blaine county. They
are Gehu or Yellow Flint, White
Flint and Northwestern Dent. These
ire the earliest varieties grown in the
Minnesota % is proving
yery successful. in northern Montana,
)ut as yet has not made very much
progress in Blaine county. Brown
yellow dent and pioneer white
lent r good and will, no doubt,
,rove more popular after they have
,een raised a little longer. Mime
ota 13 is a yellow dent which thus
has not matured early enough to
warrant any recommendation of it.
From the standpoint of yield of
orn per acre, the yellow and white s
limits will produce more than any
Their variety. For this reason they
re the best varieties for hogging off {
r sleeping off corn The ear is {
lose to the ground which makes it i
ather difficult to harvest and husk t
ut the hogs and the sheep really Z
elieve themselves doing mischief t
themselves in the corn field a
nd greatly enjoy the job of harvest p
lg it. This is a practice that could t
e adopted more universally with t
reat profit. A
1.-THE Northwestern dent and Min
esota % make more fodder with -
ars growing higher on the stalk and
therefore better adapted for the
10 or to be cut, stacked and handled
n feeding to stock during the win
# months. The same is true of the
her varieties mentioned, but since
Iere is more feeding value in the
ature corn than the immature and
nee Northwestern dent and Mime
TIA 23 are certain to mature
would seem that these are the ones
bank on.
From rather close observation Of
e varieties of corn raised in Blaine
unity during the last two years
hen conditions for growing corn
I've been above the average with
ost holding off until the 18th and
It'll of October, we would say that
me of the varieties which have
own up we'll during these two years
ould be absolute failures in years
tn a normal frost date of from Sep
mber 10 to Is. Unless the corn is
oe and out of danger from frost by
e first part of September every
ar, we a not depend upon it be-
g a success. In our variety tests
st year, the yellow flint, white flint
d Northwestern dent and Minne- I
ia % we're all mature before Sep :
mber Is. Several fields of these
of corn over the county
lich came under our personal OBJ
were mature and out of
niger of frost. On the other hand,
her varieties were immature and
and but for the frost holding off