to $1.75 in 1917. The lowest average price paid to farmers for one year 

 was 21.^ cents in 1896. Judginp: from the increased demand during 

 recent years, farmers are warranted in making an extraordinary effort 

 to increase the yield per acre. The Uniterl States produced much more 

 corn than all of the rest of the world. 



Available figures indicate that the total production of the world in 

 1914 was 3,864,279 bushels. The United States produced 2,672,804,000 

 bushels that year. The principal foreign countries producing corn are: 

 all European countries, 626,230,000 bushels in 1914; Asia, 64,000,000 

 bushels; Japan and the Philippine Islands, 81,000,000 bushels; Africa, 

 109,000,000 bushels the same year. Other corn-producing countries 

 are: Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South America. 

 Our crop for 1916 was about 500,000,000 bushels less than the previous 

 year. The largest crop produced in the United States was 3,124,746,000 

 bushels in 1912. 



While our production seems enormous, we are not securing as much 

 per acre as we should and could if we practised more intensive and scien- 

 tific methods. The government statistics indicate that our soils are not 

 worn out, as the yield has not varied materially during the past fifty or 

 sixty years. Many corn growers are producing from ninety to one 

 hundred bushels per acre year after year, and a few even more. These 

 large yields, however, are made possible only by adopting scientific 

 methods. The corn grower should know his soil, know the require- 

 ments of the plant, and how to manage all if he is to secure a maximum 

 yield and at the same time maintain the fertility of the soil. 



Too often the corn grower becomes careless; he plants corn year after 

 year on the same piece of ground, or possibly rotates with oats or wheat. 

 He does not plant legumes, especially clover, and include it in the rota- 

 tion, for the reason, as he says, that his land is clover-sick. In reality, 

 it needs lime and often thorough ventilation. 



The corn plant secures its food from two sources, viz., the atmosphere 

 and the soil. From the atmosphere it takes carbon which forms the 

 carbohydrates, viz., starches, gums, sugars and cellular tissues, all of 

 which make up the major portion of the plant. Carbon is absorbed 

 through little pores or lungs in the leaves in the form of carbon dioxide. 

 From the soil it secures mineral matter and water. The other atmos- 

 pheric elements are nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. Nitrogen is taken 

 from the atmosphere by means of tubercles containing a specific bacteria 

 upon the roots of legumes and is utilized by the corn roots through 

 organic matter in the soil. Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen. 

 The mineral elements are: Silica, lime, magnesia, phosphorus, potas- 

 sium, iron, sulphur, and a few minor ones. Approximately 97 .\ per cent 

 of the dry substance of the corn plant is composed of atmospheric ele- 

 ments, and 2.V per cent of the mineral elements. While the per cent of 



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