ko. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. ^^t 



it out for them; by planting No. 1, which averaged 90.3 per acre, the 

 farmer would, on 40 acres have just $1,900 more than he ever had 

 before. That particular variety would produce the largest yield on 

 that particular soil. 



You can do the same thiug in Pennsylvania. Take the man in your 

 neighborhood who gets the largest average, and instead of sending 

 out to Indiana or somewhere else for some of this red-letter corn 

 that is being grown there, and which will probably not produce one- 

 half as much on your soil, owing to the difference in soil and cli- 

 mate, go to the farmer in your neighborhood who is getting the best 

 results, and get some seed from him and plant that, and see whether 

 you will not obtain the same results in dollars and cents. - 



I want to say right here now" that I think Pennsylvania is ready 

 for improvement in corn, and I would like to get your younger men 

 interested. The farmers of Pennsylvania have not figured out ex- 

 actly the best variety in corn farming. Now, in Ohio, and Indiana, 

 and Iowa, we have Corn Growlers' Associations, and they have fig- 

 ured out for the farmer that this is the best variety for him to plant. 

 They have figured out that an ear of corn about 10 inches long, and 

 7^ inches in circumference is the best sized ear. It will have less 

 cob, and more rows of corn well filled out. Our men, three or four 

 years ago, began to point out to the farmers the difference in the 

 size of the ear of corn. We have found out that an ear of this 

 size will fill up the wagon to better advantage. It will have more 

 rows and will be better filled out all around than the longer ear. 

 We had quite a time convincing these farmers, but we kept at it until 

 w^e did convince them. I believe that in Pennsylvania you can grow^ 

 any kind of corn you want. I believe that you are getting away 

 from things w^hen you begin to mark the difference in corn. Now 

 take these two specimens, one about 11 inches long, and the other 

 prob'ably about one-half larger. Now, when these were weighed up, 

 the smaller cob was practically within three-fourths of the weight 

 of the larger. The little one weighed 16.14 pounds of corn to the 

 hundred, and the other one went 20, so you can see that on the larger 

 cob w^e are getting less corn per cob. 



Now, take this cob, 10 inches long, and 7^ inches in circumference, 

 with a straight row" from butt to tip, with a straight row evenly filled 

 out to the end, and uniform in size and shape. I Avould rather have 

 an ear of corn filleTl out well, than to have it run down w^ell to the 

 end. Here is another ear, wiiich started out very good, but these 

 grains ran along, wedge-shaped to the edge. Now, when you get up 

 to within an inch and a half of the top, you get a very poorly filled 

 out corn and while it has a few more grains to the end, it has lost 

 250 on the butt. 



Now, I see the one main reason for these different sizes of cobs is 

 that you have in your state no standard. That is, you have never 

 had explained to you, and have no organization which has adopted 

 a standard for an ear of corn. In our state the north is now" running 

 about 9 inches, and the south about 10 or 11 inches, and that is giv- 

 ing the best results. 



I am unable to discuss the subject fully in the short time I have, 

 but I will say that I think that we have come to the place where we 

 think we have the best of the corn situation in Indiana. We have 



