CORN growers' association. 8i 



cannot do it. He cannot secure uniformity of grain; and if a farmer 

 should undertake to shell seed corn from this, I don't think he could 

 shell but a small quantity a day — perhaps two or three gallons. This 

 matter of creating a personal seed corn may not be in reach of all 

 farmers. I believe it is a good thing, but as I surely believe you can 

 take an ear of corn with uniformity of grain represented here (holding 

 up an ear), and that all of the enterprising farmers and the ones who 

 are extremely hard to advise can raise corn similar to that in uni- 

 formity of grain. I do believe, as a farmer, that we have got to get 

 this matter of corn showing down to where we can get in touch with 

 the farmer. I believe, also, that if we can show him that there are 

 some varieties of corn in which there is exhibited a great deal of 

 waste space, that the rows on the ears stand widely apart and there 

 is a loss of space, loss in weight, and invariably a larger proportion of 

 cob than is necessary simply because the cob does not carry enough 

 corn, I believe he can understand that. By the way, there are some 

 things which they don't at present understand. Some time ago on 

 my return home from an institute meeting, a German who lives near me 

 said, "I would like to show you my seed corn; I understand you are 

 interested in corn." I went with him to his corn crib, where he had the 

 husks stripped up and hung on poles, and he picked out this ear (hold- 

 ing up a very large ear), and he said that was a fine big ear. "Don't 

 you believe," he said, "that the larger the ear the bigger crop you can 

 raise?" I told him I would be glad to take that ear with me. I had 

 never seen an ear that exhibited more of the irregularities from a 

 practical point of view than that one ear — in regard to shelling pro- 

 portions and extreme size of cob. You have tried, no doubt, many a 

 time after damp weather and then freezing weather following, to husk 

 such an ear of corn, and you find it impossible to break such a shank. 

 Those are practical features. I believe these matters are pretty well 

 understood generally, but I find some who do not understand them. 



Now in regard to some of the fads carried out in corn production. 

 I believe too often has it been the case that producing an extremely higli 

 shelling proportion of corn to the ear has led the corn fancier away 

 from practical lines. Among the sixteen kinds of corn with which I 

 have experimented here is one kind (holding up an ear), called "Farm- 

 ers' Favorite." The ambition of the person who introduced this 

 type was to produce the highest possible shelling proportion of corn 

 to ear. When that corn is planted it always stands in an inclined position, 

 and any unfavorable weather in the way of a damp morning that corn 

 would lean over so badly that in cultivation you would break off many 



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