n. r. I. 743. 



Till' Sin-I)-C()RN SITUATION. 



INTRODUCTION. 



AVith about the same ivgulanty that corn-plantinfr time arrives it 

 is found that in some portion or portions of the United States the 

 corn that must be used for seed will not germinate well and that 

 good yields can not be expected, because good seed of adapted strains 

 does not exist. 



With the assistance of the various State agi'icultural experiment 

 stations a general survey was made of the seed-corn situation in the 

 spring of 1912. This situation was found somewhat more serious 

 than usual because it was more general and because it affected large 

 portions of many of the leading corn-producing States. Aside from 

 the lack of proper precaution in .selecting and saving seed corn, 

 which is the principal cause, the bad situation can be attributed to 

 summer drought, frequent and prolonged fall rains, and nnusually 

 cold weather in November. Some sections endured all these unfa- 

 vorable conditions. 



In general, the southeastern portion of the United States produced 

 in 1911 a much better corn crop than the average, and sufficient corn 

 that will grow is available for spring planting in that section. 



New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, 

 Minnesota, and Xortli Dakota produced a better corn crop than the 

 average, but in these States there is very little corn fit to plant 

 except that which was gathered early and well cared for. This seed 

 was gathered and dried in Se])tember and is in almost perfect con- 

 dition, but is A-ery limited in quantity in comparison with the supply 

 needed. 



In the leading corn-produring States of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri 

 summer droughts cau.sed the crop to Ix' below the average and the 

 fall rains and November freezes injured or destroyed for seed pur- 

 poses all corn that was not gathered and dried early. As in the 

 Northern States, the seed wh-ich ^\tis gathered and dried early bids 

 fair to produce a good crop, but is entirely in.sufficient to plant the 

 usual com acreage of these States. 



The drought was especially severe in the Great l*lain^. and all of 

 the States from South Dakota south produced much less than a 

 tCir. 95] g 



