The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-07-16
BY F. H. JETER

Chalk up this added advantage
for hybrid corn in North Carolina
Demonstrations in all parts Of the
state have proven that adapted
strains of this new corn wilt make
higher yields per acre as compar-
ed with the older native or named
varieties. Demonstrations ais o
have proven that its heavy supply
of small fibrous feed roots will al
low it to stand up under dry
weather conditions much better
than will the older varieties.
Now, here comes a third advan-
tage. When the tropical storm
swept over eastern North Carolina
three weeks ago, I think it was,
farmers all along the coast were
apprehensive about their corn
crops. They recalled what had
Happened to the corn when the
high winds of previous storms had
passed over their fields. The corn
was blown flat and even though
every effort was made to save the
best ears, much of the grain rot
ted on the ground. It became nee
.essary to turn hogs and other live
stock into the fields to CLEAN what
ever could be saved.
! But this new hybrid, or high
bred" corn, as some folks call it,
stood up well under the pounding
of the stormy winds and, as Farm
: Agent il. H. Harris reports from
: coastal Tyrrell County, 1.-THE new
varieties of hybrid corn stood up
! under the recent storm better than
the local varieties. The stalks on
i several of the hybrid strains are
Z much larger than those of our ma
{, tive varieties
4. Lewis Anderson Of Perquimans
4 county observed that the tropical
\ storm which swept over his county
{. that Monday night did little dam
age except to corn and he says,
/. The native varieties were blown
3 almost level with the ground but
!, the hybrids stood up much better.
j indicating greater storm resis-
/ lance Several farmers also report
/ that their hybrids had withstood
] the drought prior to the storm
much better than the local var:-
| cites.
From nearby Chowan county,
Charley Overman also reported
that the storm brought an abun-
dance Of rain for the entire county.
Some fields of tobacco on the low
lands were drowned. Much of the
corn was blown over and is just
now beginning to straigAten up
again. And he observed, "the hybrid
{ corn withstood the wind much bet
ter than the local varieties on prac-
I tically all farms. Our farmers ap-
pear to be much pleased with this
feature of their hybrid corn"
DR.. E. R. Collins, ag1 onomy spe.
cialist, and his associates in this
corn demonstration work. have
placed just about 572 field demon
STATIONS throughout North Caro-
+ lima this year. Some of the DEM
onstrations are being carefully
. tended and some are not; but, on
the whole, the agronomists believe
that from the plots now growing
they will get a good picture of
what has been done in breeding
better orns for the state and that
the new methods of fertilizing
which they are advocating will get
a real test. Some farmers are en-
thusiastic about the present out
look for their demonstration fields
and believe they are learning how
to help increase North Carolina S
average yield from % bushels an
acre to so bushels an acre in the
next 10 years.
E. j. Morgan, Sampson farm
agent, tells about Norwood McCul-
len of the Taylors Bridge section
who is conducting one of the corn
demonstrations. He has followed
closely the recommendations as
given him and his neighbors say
that Mr. McCullen has one of the
prettiest fields of corn that they
have ever seen in that neighbor-
hood. The corn is being grown on
land that is not considered very
productive. Jimmie Johnson of the
Franklin All Club in Sampson
county also is following the new
plan of growing corn and has a
beautiful acre for his project.
Sam Mitchiner, assistant agent
in Forsyth County, says there are