CORN growers' association. 24:9 



Spake and said to Minnehaha, 

 To his wife, the Laughing Water: 

 *You shall bless tonight the cornfields. 

 Draw a magic circle round them, 

 To protect them from destruction. 

 Blasts of mildew, blight of insects, 

 Wagemin, the thief of cornfields, 

 Paimosaid, who steals the maize-ear! 

 In the night, when all is silence, 

 . In the night, when all is darkness, 

 When the Spirit of Sleep, Nepahwin, 

 Shuts the doors of all the wigwams. 

 So that not an ear can hear you. 

 So that not an eye can see you; 

 Rise up from j^our bed in silence. 

 Lay aside your garments wholly, 

 Walk around the fields you planted. 

 Round the borders of the cornfields, 

 Covered by your tresses only, 

 Robed with darkness as a garment. 

 Thus the fields shall be more fruitful, 

 And the passing of your footsteps 

 Draw a magic circle round them. 

 So that neither blight nor mildew. 

 Neither burrowing worm nor insect, 

 Shall pass o'er the magic circle.' " 



At the close of Mr. Hostetter's address a discussion followed and 

 questions were asked. Mr. Benjamin, of Lake County; Mr. James, of 

 Bartholomew County; Mr. Peters, of Clinton County, and Mr. Cunning- 

 ham, of Miami County, took part in the discussion. 



Professor A. T. Wiancko, of Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, 

 gave the following address, illustrating the same with charts: 



CORN BREEDING FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS. 



The improvement of corn by breeding along definite lines is no longer 

 a work of the scientist or professional seed grower alone. That it can 

 be done easily and by every farmer on his own farm has been proven 

 beyond a doubt. The scientists of the country have worked out sim- 

 ple and effective methods which any farmer can follow, and, by the use 

 of a little judgment in selecting his seed, he can, in a short time, make 

 very marked progress towards producing what he wants. 



