FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART III. 181 



cuss these questions and improvements themselves you will all realize that 

 not all of life is to lay up money, and there are not many of us that would 

 want to trade off the welfare or good name of our boys and girls for all the 

 money in the country. 



What we need most here in regard to corn is to get our people together 

 to practice and make use of those things that we all know, so that we can 

 take hold of the improvements and conditions in our own neighborhoods. 

 It is not so much learning more, but of taking hold and doing those things 

 that we all know. We need to take more interest in corn. Corn will not 

 produce to its limit until the people will follow out the methods that will pro- 

 duce more bushels to the acre. You know very well in connection with the 

 hogs that there are days and times when you sit up all night and take care 

 of pigs, and it means more than days or weeks of work. If there is any one 

 thine that I have in mind it is that feeling and desire on my part to originate 

 if we can these clubs, to bring the people together and to feel that they will 

 have corn judging contests and get to work together. That is the only way 

 we can expect the very best results — for corn and hogs are of very little con- 

 sequence. 



As I said before, I can only hope to call attention to a few things, and 

 they are not along the line of scientific research, but the things that we can 

 all do and all know. We can increase the protein in corn, but it takes years 

 to do it and only to a small extent, but if we will pay attention to the kind 

 of seed and plant corn so as to get the right amount we can produce all that 

 the acre is capable of. 



We get hundreds of letters at the college at Ames asking us what kind of 

 corn is best for the difiEerent kinds of soil. We can not tell, as you know 

 very well that corn adapted to one part of the State is not good for another. 

 This has been settled largely in some of the counties in this way. The 

 county poor farms have been made experiment stations, and are called the 

 county experiment stations. They grow diflferent kinds of corn on the farm, 

 side by side. They watch the growth of the different kinds of corn, the 

 number of stalks to the hill, and which obtains the best results. 



Variety and strength of ground are important factors. As to the amount 

 of seed, in some cases four kernels might be necessary, and in others two or 

 three might be plenty. We are just at the beginning. Our land is valuable 

 and becoming more valuable, and we have to get a few more bushels and 

 the profit on our hogs depend on the corn we feed them. Get the hog that 

 will make the most out of each bushel of corn and raise the most number of 

 bushels per acre. There are many questions along this line that have not 

 been settled and must be taken up and the county poor farm will be the 

 place where they will be taken up. 



In a dry season we can get more in a hill with one stalk than in a hill with 

 three or four. At the time when you plant the corn select out the twenty or 

 forty best ears of corn that you have and plant those on one side of the 

 field — not with the rest — on the west or south side. After the corn has 

 started go into this part and pull out the stalks that are not good, or if you 

 do not do that and are pretty careful with it, wait until it has just tasseled 

 and go through the field and pull out these tassels from the stalks that are 

 weak, and in that way you will practically get rid of the pollen of all that 

 corn. We go into the field and save the good ears of corn, thinking that like 



