Better Corn Possible 



Too Many Fields in Midwest Cornbelt 

 Go on Hunger Strike That in Time 

 Cuts Yields and Profits 



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YI'.S. ue are nuikiii!: more com 

 lliaii e\i'r. In the late of sueli 

 lacts you will lie shocked at my 

 coiit<'iitioii llial at least two-thirds 

 of the corn fields of the corn belt 

 tailed to perform accordinp: to the higii 

 standard we ha\e set for them. 



l>y Jidy Itli and knee-hiah time most 

 corn lields in the Midwest looked jieaii- 

 tiful and were far ahead of schedtde. 

 Many fields were liej;inning to show 

 tassels. Hun<;er sijrns conld iiardlv he 

 lound. the c(d<>r was perfect. ()\er mo<l 

 ol tiiecorn liell the rainfall was as iiood 

 or hetter thaii noinial. Snddcnlv. aliout 

 the la-t ueek in JuK manv fields hejian 

 to -ho\\ a sliiiht paliiiir in the green 

 lolor this \\as the first sign of nitro- 

 gen >lai\alion. Hy ,\u<r. 20 the nitro- 

 gen hmig<r signs were wide-s|)read. 

 •Many corn fields were heginning to 

 show uhile hiisks anil dented keiiieN 

 the last ueek in \ngusl. This was shut- 

 ting <l()vvn the factory too soon. An- 

 other jioint. these nitrogen plants proh- 

 alil\ made a lower |)rotein content 

 corn. 



Too many of our i orn fields |)ut on 

 a hunger strike that cut the yield. The 

 nitroi^cu shortage that oiinrred in 

 Angu>t in so man\ of thesi' fields forced 

 the corn into premature ripening. We 

 torced corn under sLich conditions to 

 ri|)cii in the hottest weather of our 

 summer. I hi~ \\ as hail. 



Mot wealJKr increases llie rale at 

 wliich sugars hum u|i in plants, a proc- 

 ess called res|)iralion. Sugars were 

 tliercforc e\ce>siyely lost hy this liurn- 

 irig |)roce.ss rather than packed into the 

 ear as starch to make dec|( kernels and 

 higher yields. 



rile unusually warm June put life 

 into the soil micro-organisms. The\ 

 went to work early and loosened up a 

 lot of availalde idtrogen tied up in the 

 soil organic matter. This does not 

 ha[)pen a.« long as the soil is cold, 

 ('rops slarye for nitrogen in earlv 

 spring while the soil is still cold e\en 

 though there will he a lot of nitrates 

 ayailahle later in the season. The warm 

 soil and liisih availalile liiolosic nitro- 



By GEORGE D. SCARSETH 



Director of Research 

 American Form Research Association 



gen in early June of the 1919 season 

 kicked the corn olV to a mighty yigorous 

 start. The corn hecame amhitiou,s and 

 made a hig plant. However, in too many 

 fields these and>itious young corn plants 

 fouiul the cuplioard ruimiiig empty too 

 soon. There was not enough organic 

 matter in the soil to rot down through- 

 out the summer and giye enough nitro- 

 gen to carry on through to a successful 

 litush. 



Many fields showed nitrogen hunger 

 eyen though a con>ideral>le (piantily of 

 organii- matter had hcen turned under, 

 riiis wa> especially true where the stand 

 was thick. Farmers ha\f h'arned that a 

 thick stand means more corn when 

 there is |ilenty plant food. \\ itli thick 

 stands, extra nitrogen in addition to 

 that sn])plied hy the organic tnatter 

 proved the soundness of the two work- 

 ing together. 



Again I emphasize tliat it took the 

 minerals of phosphorus. ])otash. cal- 

 cium, magnesium, and certain trace 

 elements to Imild the crops of legumes 

 that made most of the organic matter. 

 I emphasize again that the whole array 

 of sound eon.servation practices and 

 management arc needed, hut let's not 

 oyerlook why some of these corn fields 

 failed to meet the test. 



Hriefly these ohserxations seem to 

 hoil down to the following conclusions: 



1. Have a large supply of decom- 

 posing organic matter in the soil as the 

 luimher one hack-log for success. (Prac- 

 tice rotations and fertilization that make 

 an ahundant residual su|iplv of organic 

 matter (. 



2. Lse a\ailaii!e nitrogen in the 

 starter row fertilizer to giye the corn a 

 sure-lire push off in s|)ite of cool and 

 wet weather. 



1. It looks like a highly prolific 

 I more than one ear per stalk) corn with 

 a longer pollen season should haye 

 some adyantages on soils of high fer- 

 tility. I More research is needed to 

 proye this point to be right or wrong). 



1. Plant thick enough to assure a big 

 capacity for production. 



5. In addition to the minerals sup- 

 plied through other crops fertilized in 

 the rotation and in the starter fertilizer, 

 be sure extra nitrogen is supplied either 



(Cuntinucd on page 28) 



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I. A. A. RECORD 



