I06 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



The average of all the tests of "good corn" in column 5 is 94.00 per 

 cent. The average of the composite tests of the lots of corn from whence 

 those good ears were taken, is 85.19 per cent. The original lots were 

 made up of seed corn, which was carefully selected by ordinary methods 

 bv^fore it came to the Agricultural Experiment Station. The difference 

 between 94.00 and 85.19 is 8.81 per cent, in favor of the "good corn," 

 which is clearly attributable to the fact that every ear was tested and 

 only the "good ones" reserved. That this difference is correct is fur- 

 ther attested by noticing the average per cent of the "poor" lots of corn 

 in column 6, which is 66.11. Evidently from this, no mistake was made 

 in the kind of ears discarded. 



It is fair to assume, according to the above figures, that the seed 

 corn planted in Illinois during the spring of 1904, might have been at 

 least 8.81 per cent better than it was. Although it does not follow 

 absolutely, it is not far from correct to reason that the crop is 8.81 per 

 cent lighter than it might have been, had the best seed attainable been 

 used. This is a conservative estimate considering that the original lots 

 of corn above were probably better than the average seed corn planted 

 in Illinois in 1904. 



Granting, then, that 8.81 per cent of the seed planted failed to grow 

 and that there were 1,000,000 bushels of corn used for seed in Illinois, 

 the amount of corn planted which did not grow was 88,100 bushels. 

 Valuing it at $2.00 per bushel, it represented a dead loss of $176,200. 

 This amount alone would pay for testing practically every ear of corn 

 planted in Illinois, counting labor at $1.50 a day. The great loss, how- 

 ever, consists in the shortage of the crop due to this poor seed. The 

 valuation of the corn crop in Illinois, as given in the year book of the 

 Department of Agriculture for the year 1903, was $95,000,000. Count- 

 ing the proportionate loss therefore, which might have been prevented 

 by proper testing of seed corn, we have $8,369,500. The data herein 

 presented certainly justifies the conclusion that such a sum could have 

 been saved by Illinois corn growers the past year by properly testing 

 seed. 



To bring the matter as closely home as possible to the individual 

 farmer, suppose that he raises 80 acres of corn, and that his normal 

 yield is 60 bushels per acre, giving a total of 4,800 bushels. His average 

 loss this year was 8.81 per cent of that amount, or 422.88 bushels. 

 Valuing this at 40 cents a bushel, we have a loss of $169.15 due to the 

 use of untested seed. This amount would pay the necessary wages for 

 testing every ear of seed corn which would be used on 7,555 acres of land, 

 counting the wages at $1.50 a day. These figures ought to appeal not 



