When the corn was harvested care- 

 ful check was made. Yields from each 

 of the sample rows were weighed and 

 tested for moisture. Yields of the sample 

 rows were compared to yields of the 

 check rows to allow for differences in 

 fertility of the soil. 



The tests were run for three consecu- 

 tive years. It is interesting to note that 

 one who helped with these tests was 

 Lester Pfister who later pioneered in 

 hybrid corn production. 



After the third test, results were pub- 

 lished for the first time. It was noted 

 that the smooth, utility types were, in 

 every case, the heaviest yielders. 



Samples submitted by George Krug 

 produced the most of all with Herman 

 Lampe's corn a close second. Now that 

 the Woodford county Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation had established the fact that one 

 type of corn was far superior, steps were 

 taken to secure adequate supplies of that 

 seed for patrons. 



Contracts were drawn with Krug and 

 Lampe to grow and pick seed for other 

 seed growers. That way the type would 

 remain reasonably true. Then, too, the 

 seed company would always have ample 

 supplies of Krug and Lampe seed. 



The test was conducted one more year. 

 But instead of using samples from grow- 

 ers in the county, samples were secured 

 from all major seed companies in central 

 Illinois. Again Krug corn led the field! 



Growers everywhere demanded Krug 

 corn. In most cases they bought seed 

 and started selecting their own "Krug" 

 corn. And in most cases they unknow- 

 ingly selected a type of seed different 

 from the true Krug type with correspond- 

 ing decreases in yield. 



"It was our plan in those years to 

 educate our patrons as to the true type 

 of Krug corn. That was one of our 

 services," W. H. Smith recalls. "I planted 

 Krug corn next to seed of my own selec- 

 tion and Krug beat it by five bushels." 



To promote Krug corn, the Farm 

 Bureau gave each 4-H Club member with 

 a corn project enough Krug seed to plant 

 an acre. The only string attached to the 

 gift was that the seed be planted beside 

 the boys father's corn. Many a Wood- 

 ford county farmer learned about seed 

 corn through comparing his own with 

 that grown by his son. 



By the time the seed company had 

 become established as a source of seed 

 for farmers who are particular about 

 such matters the unholy days of the early 

 '30's struck the corn belt. Farmers bought 

 seed on credit at first. Later they used any 

 old seed. 



The Woodford County Agricultural 

 Association, since 1927 managed by 

 George Ludwig who is also manager of 

 the Woodford County Service Company, 

 escaped ruin but was hard hit. 



George gives an example of how 



PRESIDENT LAMPE 

 "We developed Krug Com." 



things were going by 1932. The associa- 

 tion had 941 bushels of seed corn on 

 hand. The seed had cost $6.33 a bushel. 

 It had all been tested for disease and 

 germination. George sold a few bushels 

 for seed but when the planting season 

 was over he sold the bulk of it for 26 

 cents at the elevator! 



Just as things were looking better for 

 the company a new star appeared on the 

 corn growers' horizon — hybrid seed. It 

 was developed locally by Lester Pfister, 

 one of Mosher's helpers in the making 

 tests that discovered Krug corn. In fact, 

 Pfister bred his foundation stocks from 

 Krug corn. 



It was natural, then, for the WCAA 



to start breeding Pfister hybrid seed for 

 its patrons. The same careful breeders are 

 growing hybrid seed for the association 

 who helped in developing Krug corn. 



Many of the Farm Bureau leaders in 

 the county like Charles N. Smith who 

 is the director of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association from the 17th district, be- 

 lieved that the seed association should 

 become a cooperative closely affiliated 

 with the Farm Bureau. That change was 

 made and on June 22, 1938, the company 

 continued operations under the name 

 Woodford County Seed Company. 



Officers and directors of the new com- 

 pany are: H. S. Lampe, president; J. J. 

 Schneider, vice-president; Byron Stitt, 

 secretary-treasurer; Christ Studer, J. Ira 

 Powell, Amos Yordy, Frank Jury, and 

 C. N. Smith. Although the present or- 

 ganization is set up to distribute patron- 

 age dividends, its original aim of securing 

 the highest quality seed is still para- 

 mount. 



A glance at the $44,332.58 volume of 

 business handled by the Woodford Coun- 

 ty Seed Company in 1936 indicates its 

 importance. "The greatest amount of in- 

 come, $24,696, was from seed corn sales. 

 Values of other seeds handled are ranked 

 as follows: sweet clover, red clover, al- 

 falfa, alsike, soybeans and timothy. 



According to Manager Ludwig, more 

 than 70 per cent of the business is done 

 with Farm Bureau members. To them, 

 late in September, went patronage divi- 

 dends of approximately 10 per cent. 



Whether or not you buy seed from the 



Woodford cooperative, if you have raised 



Krug corn or raise hybrids, you can trace 



your increased yields to Woodford county. 



— Larry Potter 



SEED CLEANING, AN IMPORTANT SERVICE 

 Assistant Manager Walter Blunier cleaning clover seed ior a patron. This was 

 one of the first services oi the cooperative and, next to securing top quality seed, ia 

 still a leading function. 



L A. A. RECORD 



