No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 369 



der the people destitute, of their usual food supply. In all ages, and 

 in almost all parts of tht- world, destitution has occurred, famiue 

 sometimes carrying oil' large numbers of the human race. In these 

 emergencies, the countries that produce largely of cereals have 

 always been looked to for relief. 



In this report we will not attempt to deal with all the cereal crops, 

 nor to set forth the amount of production or value. These statis- 

 tics, collected by the United States Department of Agriculture, and 

 furnished by other good authorities, are accessible to all. The 

 Department bulletins may be had for the asking. 



The cereals iu which we in Pennsylvania are most particularly 

 interested are corn and w^hcat. From these we get our bread, and 

 largely our butter and meat, as well. These crops take kindly to the 

 soil and climate of all parts of the State, different varieties of the 

 two grains adapting themselves to the environment remarkably. 

 Our production per acre, low though it be, ranks well up toward the 

 head in the table of production of the different states. Quality 

 of both as raised here is equal to the best. When we compare, how- 

 ever, our average yield with the maximum crop produced, we become 

 aware of the great need there is of bestirring ourselves to lessen the 

 gap between the average crop and the highest yield possible. Many 

 times the average yield fails to return enough to pay expenses of 

 labor and seed. 



There are many avenues leading up to better things. A few only 

 can be enumerated here. Take corn first, since it leads in financial 

 value. The seed is important. Is it fully adapted to soil and cli- 

 matic conditions? Are the ears uniformly of good size with deep 

 grains and small cob, well filled out? Does it produce an ear of fair 

 size to every stalk? Or is it giving to producing many barren stalks, 

 suckers and nubbins? There is certainly urgent need of improve- 

 ment in ourseed corn. Go to a load of corn, or into a crib, and pick 

 out a perfect ear. A single trial will convince any one that perfect 

 ears are at least the exception, and not the rule. The crop of Penm- 

 sylvauia the past season was millions of bushels short, mainly from 

 preventable causes, not the least of which was poor seed. Seed 

 corn should be selected early, thoroughly dried and protected from 

 the damp atmosphere of winter thaws. It is not enough to dry it in 

 the fall. It must be be protected from dampness, and the sudden 

 changes that come along in our winters. To neglect in these particu- 

 lars may be traced uneven stand, weak plants, some of the grains 

 failing to germinate, others making a slow start, so that instead of 

 being all in sight in a week or ten days at most, they come dragging 

 along for a month, the last to get through being so discouraged as 

 to produce a spindling, weak stalk and never an ear. In defining a 

 weed, an eminent authority says it is "ci plant out of place." If, 

 by having too many stalks we fail to get ears, are we not tolerating 

 weeds right in the corn hills? If there be four stalks where but 

 three can come to perfection, is not the fourth stalk in its effect on 

 the yield, a rank weed? A single additional grain on an ear, an ear 

 added to a rod of row, will make many bushels in the aggregate 

 crop of the State, 



As to wheat, the Crop Reporter for January, 1908, discussing com- 

 parative yields for the past forty years says, ''In Pennsylvania the 

 difference in favor of the last twenty years is 2.1 bushels per acre; 

 24—6—1907. 



