16 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



land before it is foul, feed it before it is hungry, and rest it before it is 

 weary." If this is done, and good seed provided, with all farm work 

 done in a scientific manner, the products of our fields will be nearly 

 doubled in value, and to that end we should all strive, with the full 

 assurance that success will crown all well-directed efforts. 



The meeting here listened to the reading, by the Secretary, of 

 the following paper by Mr. J. S. Trigg, of Des Moines, who was 

 unable to be present. 



PREPARING SEED BED FOR CORN. 



J. S. TRIGG, DES MOINES, lA. 



During the past year the attention of the corn growers of the state 

 has been particularly directed to the importance of good seed as a factor 

 in the production of a larger yield per acre. It is impossible to estimate 

 the value of the good work done by the state college, the seed corn trains 

 and the many competitive corn shows all over the state. Where four 

 years ago the men were few and far between who oould give an intelli- 

 gent and instructive talk on corn, or could score the samples at an ex- 

 hibit and who realized the possibilities connected with the development 

 of the corn plant, there are today hundreds of corn growing experts and 

 enthusiasts. It is safe to say that the corn crop of 1905 has been large- 

 ly increased by the campaign of education made in behalf of better seed 

 corn. W^hile giving the matter of good seed a first place in the effort to 

 increase the yield of this crop, it is still not the whole thing by any 

 means. Even with good seed and a good stand we find a great variation 

 in the yield of corn per acre; we find even when good seed is used many 

 fields giving so poor a return as 25 bushels and other fields yielding 

 from 70 to 80 bushels per acre. The seed has nothing to do with these 

 very greatly varying yields and other reasons must be sought. We do 

 not have to go far to find them and easily realize that to secure a good 

 crop good seed must be planted in a good soil'. The purpose of this paper 

 is to briefly invite attention to the relation of the seed bed to the corn 

 crop. 



Taking a series of years corn is the most profitable cereal crop pro- 

 duced on Iowa farms, and because of the crop being so readily convertible 

 into all forms of meat, dairy and poultry products, the temptation has 

 been and is now to grow too much, or rather too many acres of corn to 

 the impairment of the soil and the deterioration of the crop. On many 

 farms corn follows corn year after year until the abused and exhausted 

 soil refuses longer to return a profitable crop. Here in Iowa we have 

 come to the period in the state's agricultural development when the ques- 

 tion of a sensible and systematic rotation of crops, with the use of 

 legumes and manure can no longer be ignored. The field of virgin 

 soil still returns 70 to 80 bushels per acre. The field of a soli 

 originally just as good and given just the same cultivation returns about 



