SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PAKT X, 593" 



CORN CONCLUSIONS. 



{From United States Department of Agriculture. Farviers' Bulletin 



No. 253. J 



(1) Approximately 15.000.000 bushels of corn are required for seed 

 every year in the United States. 



(2) The yield depends largely on the vitality of the seed planted. 



(3) Make your own germinating box and test the vitality of every 

 ear of corn before planting. 



(4) The time required for individual ear tests is very little; twelve or 

 fifteen ears will furnish enough seed to plant one acre. 



(5) Count the sprouts very carefully; any ear failing to show 100 

 per cent of good sprouts should be rejected. 



(6) Of 3,322 ears tested, 1,906, or more than one-half, were unfit for 

 seed. These samples were taken from ears picked for seed by good, 

 careful farmers, and are evidently much above the average. 



(7) Field tests have shown that seed of strong vitality will produce- 

 the largest yield of corn. 



(8) Granting that the samples tested are representative of the pres- 

 ent supply of seed-corn, the testing of every ear and the subsequent re- 

 jection of poor ears will increase the stand 13.7 per cent. 



(9) An increased stand of 13.7 per cent would mean an increased 

 annual yield of 298,140,695- bushels, with a value of $100,739,912.91, cal- 

 culated on the average yield and price for the last ten years. 



THE TOWNSHIP AS A ROAD DISTRICT. 



G. S. McConnell. Princeton. loica. Before Scott County Farmers' Institute. 



Theory in regard to a matter of this kind may seem to be all right, but 

 when it comes to the practical test is often found wanting. We have all 

 read glowing reports of how well the township road district plan worked 

 in certain localities, how much better the roads were kept at less ex- 

 pense, and many more flattering comments of the same nature. We 

 used to see articles of this kind in the papers long before the plan was 

 adopted here. I have always had an idea that such articles were written 

 by men who could write as beautiful as a certain editor of an agricul- 

 tural paper of whom I once heard. His writings about a well-kept farm 

 were so fine that people journeyed from far to see his ideal. But lo! 

 when they beheld the poorly-kept, run-down looking place, they didn't 

 stop to see the handsome editor. 

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