The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-03-23
SELECTION OF
CASH CROPS is
BIG PROBLEM
Durdle Says Corn is as Good
as Anything in Sight at the
Present Time; Planting to
Be Done Early

The question or selection OF
crop for a part of the acreage is
one that is bothering quite few
growers this year from the num-
Der of requests that are coming
to us. With the probable loss of a
large part of the strawberry acre
age as well as Of the alfalfa acre
age, particularly on the lighter
soils there is quite a p roblem as
to replanting. This is always a
difficult question to try to answer
and during these times seems to
us is much more difficult than or
dinarily, states E. G. Durdle.
Since many of the farms are of
small acreage the owners are al
ways looking to the selection of a
crop which will give a high re-
turn per acre. 1t is this problem
that is hard to answer. For in
stance, the situation last year was
one in which the important onion
states produced less than 200 car
load more onions than there were
before, which was less than 10
percent increase and yet onions in
Chicago were selling during the
month of January for 35c to 4Oc
for a 50-pound sack as compared
to the high prices Of the year be-
fore. This of course was due to
the decreased demand. 1t. is almost
impossible to even predict with any
degree of certainty as to the price
of any of these highly specialized
crops for the coming season and
in general one can say that bar
ring unf o rse n circumstances
there is not much assurance of
good returns from any of them.
1t is for this reason that others
who have made a careful study of
this problem are suggesting corn
as careful study of agriculture of
the Yakima valley last year has
emphasized again the fact that
there are thousands of tons of
corn shipped from the middle west
into this territory and that some
growers are finding it profitable
to grow corn for local consump-
tion. A series of fertilizer plots on
corn last year did not show
great deal in regard to different
needs of fertilizers but the aver
age yield of a series Of IL plots
was about 70 bushels per acre.
This corn was grown with two ir-
rigations and one cultivation a n d
reads quite low as to moisture
content, in fact, almost down to
the required moisture content.
Corn must of course be stored in
a well ventilated crib in order to
assist in reducing the moisture
content to the required point. Re-
suits of experiments at the sta
ton at Prosser have shown that
western corn when properly cured
is as satisfactory as eastern corn
for seeding purposes.
The two main problems in corn
production is the wire worm and
the corn ear worm. So far as we
know if the wire worm is bad
there is no control measure which
will assure one of a good stand.
The other problem is mainly corn
ear worm, we have so many fav-
orable reports from growers that
early planting has overcome this
problem that we are not very hes
liant about recommending this as
a means of control. Corn should
be planted during the first corn
planting weather which means as
soon as the ground warns up
enough to bring about germina-
ton rather than decaying of the
kernel. Corn will stand a light
frost and come on again. 1t would
be cheaper to replant securing an
early stand than to wait too late
to plant. We believe that consider
alton might well be given to the
production of this crop