642 BOAEJD OF AGRICULTUilEb 



HOW I GROW BIG CROPS OP CORN. 



W. E. LAMB, PETERSBURG, IND. 



[Read before the Pike CountylFarmers' Institute.] 



How to grow big crops of corn is one of tlie most important subjects 

 before the American farmer today. With corn at 60 to 75 cents per bushel 

 and the bins of the world practically empty, it behooves us to look well to 

 the production of a large crop the coming year. In this country corn is 

 the most important cereal crop grown, as based on crop production and 

 value. It may not always be the most profitable crop, but it is the 

 mightiest in the aggregate. In the fiscal year 1897 and 1898 the coun- 

 try's cotton crop was worth $300,000,000, its wheat $392,000,000, but its 

 corn had a farm value of over $552,000,000. The production of corn in 

 1900 was over 2,100,000,000 bushels with a value of $751,000,000. About 

 80 per cent, of all the corn grown is in the United States. With the average 

 of the country at about 27 bushels per acre and an authenticated yield 

 of 239 bushels of crib cured corn from a measured acre, we have before us 

 the possibilities for improvements in the cultivation of this crop. It 

 shows what may be done with good soil, good seed and thorough 

 cultivation. 



In growing big crops of corn we must have a good soil, well drained, 

 with much humus; we prefer a good strong clover to any other. 



The manure made on the farm is spread on the clover fields during 

 the spring and summer or on the fields we intend putting in corn during 

 the winter and spring as fast as made, when it is possible to haul it over 

 the land. We have never used any commercial fertilizers on corn. A 

 careful examination of the experiments made in supplying fertilizers to 

 the corn crop conducted by the different experiment stations, show in 

 several instances that the increase in crop has not been suSicient to pay 

 cost of fertilizer. At the Ohio station twenty-one separate experiments 

 were made on soils varying widely in character and located in different 

 parts of the state, and extending over about six years. As a result of these 

 experiments the conclusion was reached that a profitable production of 

 corn by the use of commercial fertilizers would be a hopeless undertaking. 

 In my judgment, if we use fertilizers at all the proper way is to apply 

 the fertilizer on the wheat in order to get a good catch of clover, then 

 spread all the barnyard manure you can make over the clover fields and 

 you will have an ideal soil for the production of a large crop of corn. 



On the preparation of the soil depends in a great measure the success 

 of the crop. The ground should be thoroughly pulverized before planting 



