364 Missouri Agricidtural Report. 



COUNTY FAIR GRAIN CLASSIFICATION. 



(S. M. Jordan, Manager Pettis County, Mo., Bureau of Asriculture and Farm 



Adviser for Pettis County.) 



The object of the fair, of course, is for stimulating better pro- 

 duction of a higher quality and not your "long-stalk" classification. 

 You do not offer any prizes for the freaks and abnormalities in 

 live stock, yet you do offer such classifications in other farm 

 products. Yet we find in the same fair the freaks and deformities 

 are given prizes, and in corn especially we sometimes find the 

 prize offered for the largest ear, for the greatest freak, a prize for 

 the tallest stalk — and about nine times out of ten the biggest ear 

 of corn in the show is not worth its ribbon. The tallest stalk of 

 corn, is usually a bad one and a freak carries no value with it what- 

 ever, so that in all of our classifications in fairs, no matter what it 

 may be, quality should be the chief object to be kept in view all 

 the time. Only a short time ago I was called upon to award a 

 prize of $4 on an ear of corn, and if a man had planted it in my 

 field I would have had him arrested. 



A classification has to be arranged largely according to the 

 premium list that we have. Sometimes we have a large list of small 

 merchandise products and we have to offer a great many premiums. 

 Sometimes we also have a very good list so far as value goes, but 

 very few things in that list. If necessary to offer a great many 

 premiums, always give the number of premiums with reference to 

 quality. 



With reference to grain, our people in Missouri should know 

 what sorts of wheat they should grow. We find we can grow a 

 good yield of wheat, yet we know that by growing hard wheat in 

 Missouri of the same strain continually, it becomes soft, the grains 

 turn yellow or light, and that makes a low market. There is no 

 good market for a wheat of that kind. Since we cannot hold up 

 the quality of hard wheat in Missouri we should cater to the best 

 varieties of soft wheat, because we can grow it to excellent ad- 

 vantage. We find also that the best corn growers, in offering their 

 premiums, are offering them on the pure-bred varieties of corn. 

 Once in a while, however, we find a show where a premium is 

 offered on mixed corn. Only a little while ago I found a show of 

 that sort and I was very glad indeed to find they had offered some 

 prizes on some mixed corn, because it was plainly seen that the 

 mixed variety in no way compared with the pure-bred corn. So 



