;M1IIIIIU^S= 
w : 
PRICE PTVE CENTS. 
*2.00 PER YEAR. 
NEW YORK, MARCH 19, 1887 
Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year li@7, by the Rural New-Yorker, In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington 
best ears are very good. I hope to secure a 
uniform type, getting the kernels thicker and 
smoother, without loss of depth. The cob is of 
fair size, but we do not find it practicable to 
get a large amount of eoru around a small 
cob, ' 
The three white varieties are somewhat alike; 
ears of each can be selected which closely re¬ 
semble each other. The name Monticello.Fig. 
191, is given because we received sted from 
near that place, where it is well liked but had 
uo special name. The name Burr’s White, 
Fig. 132, is given because a good farmer in 
this county named Burr has given ranch at¬ 
tention to selecting this corn. The Champion 
White Pearl, Fig. 139, with us has not main¬ 
tained the claims of extraordinary merit with 
which it came to us. It is less "solid,” lighter 
in proportion to bulk, than either of the 
others. I have been inclined to give the pref- 
ereueeto the Burr’s White, but clearly the ear 
of "Montieello” photographed is more nearly 
my ideal ear than auv other of the eight. 
With good ordinary field culture, dropping 
three kernels in hills three feet eight inches 
apart or in drills vu rows, this distance 
apart, we would expect to harvest from 50 to 
7 5 bushels per acre of either one of the larger 
varieties described: possibly ten bushels less 
of the Murdock. We have harvested both 
more and less than those amounts. 
University of llliuois, Champaign. 
Star, etc., etc., but averages larger than 
either of these varieties. While not remark¬ 
able for depth of kernel, it is exceedingly 
heavy in proportion to size, having very little 
space between the rows, with the kernels 
firmly and compactly placed. It is fairly 
early. We have sent seed to Central Minne¬ 
sota, where it did well in average seasons. It 
yields well and can be planted more thickly 
than the larger varieties. I do not recommend 
it for general planting thus far north, but we 
will continue to cultivate it until we find 
something as good. 
The variety known as “Smith’s Mixed,” 
Fig. 128, came to us from the north part of 
the State. It is very early with us; rather 
smaller than the Murdock, and lacking in 
uniformity. Selection for three years has 
partially fixed the color -white—probably five 
out of six ears being nearly pure white, where¬ 
as a white ear was exceptional three years 
siuce. It is a “softer” corn than the Murdock, 
and does not weigh so well for bulk. 
The Learning, Fig. 121), is well known. It 
has a large cob, with the ear quite too taper¬ 
ing; the kernels not deep. It yields well, 
‘'producing a good many good-sized ears on an 
acre, and that is what you want”—as it has 
been characterized recently. Further selec¬ 
tion will improve it in its weak points. As 
we have it, there is no trouble in its maturing 
iu any ordinary season. 
I have given the name Champaign Yellow- 
Dent, Fig. 180, to a variety much liked by 
some good farmers iu this vicinity. It ap¬ 
peal's to have been modified in the hands of 
different farmers. It lacks uniformity. The 
can readily be given for the preference for one 
ear. This preference has led to purposed or 
accidental selection of seed from ears pro¬ 
duced] [singly — thus continually breeding 
away from the tendency to production of 
more. 
Photographs are forwarded of ears and 
cross-seotious of ears of eight varieties grown 
on the University Farm in 1880. These ears 
are considered good specimens of the different 
varieties, and, with one exception, fairly rep¬ 
resent my idea of good corn for this region. 
The corn crop here was unfavorably affected 
by dry weather, ami these cal's art all some¬ 
what smaller than typical ears in a favorable 
season. The white varieties appear relatively 
larger than the yellow, from slight difference 
in poses. These ears ranged in size from 
about, six inches to a little over nine in length, 
and from oue-aud-a-half to two-and- a-half 
inches in diumeter. 
The small yellow variety called “Peyton’s 
Small Cob,” Fig. 125, is of interest, but is not 
considered valuable here. It conies from 
Southern llliuois, the result of years of selec¬ 
tion. It is not early with us. It has 
the smallest cob I have ever known. 
Iu extreme eases a kernel will extend across 
the cob, where, as with not a few large vari¬ 
eties, the length of the kernel Is not more than 
half the diameter of the cob. The ear is too 
small, and there is quite too much opeu space 
between the rows. Sometimes a section pre¬ 
sents much the appearance of a cog wheel. 
The Murdock, Fig. 127, we have for years 
considered our best early maturing corn. It 
is of the type of the Pride of the North, North 
CORN FOR THE CENTRAL WEST. 
PROFESSOR G. E. MORROW 
jl OR our soil and climate. I pre- 
rer a variety with stalks not 
more than eight feet high; not 
excessively' thick ; the ears 
Am f starting not more than feet 
'Loin the ground; these cal's 
' mue inches loug, two-aud-a- 
fourth inches iuldia meter, this 
W diameter nearly the same until 
near the tip, this to be quickly rounding 
rather than pointed; the humber of rows of 
kernels averaging 15 to 18, extending so as to 
well cover the ends, except a moderate space 
for the attachment to the stalk; the kernels 
to bo moderately thick, instead of thin and 
chaffy; smooth, rather than rough or point¬ 
ed at the larger end: so shaped and placed as 
to show scarcely any depression between the 
rows; to he something over a half inch long. 
Such an ear should weigh, when well dried, 
about three-fourths to four-fifths of a pound, 
and should not have more than It) pounds of 
cob for each 66 pounds of shelled corn. In 
color they may be either white or yellow as 
preferred—and this as relates to both cob and 
kernel, as color, in itself, 1 count of little 
importance. It is not to be expected that all 
the cars will have these characteristics: and 
as to a number of 
these, a margin may 
be safely left for va¬ 
riation without af¬ 
fecting the value. 
The above descrip¬ 
tion applies to a va¬ 
riety for the main 
crop. I like to" have 
a few acres of some 
early-ripening varie¬ 
ty for early feeding 
—with us during the 
latter part of August 
--or for planting very 
late, should this uu- 
fortnnately be neces- 
sary. Reducing size 
10 to 15 per cent., the 
description gives my 
idea of a good varie¬ 
ty for these purposes. 
Here we like to plant 
our eoru the first 
of May, and we quite 
prefer not to have 
frost until October. 
I have read more 
about good field corn 
thoroughly maturiug 
iu 80 or *.HJ days than 
I have seen this done 
in practice. 
As to one point, I 
am in a small minor¬ 
ity among Western 
corn growers. I be¬ 
lieve it well worth 
while to attempt the 
fixing of the habit of 
producing two good 
ears on a stalk of our 
dent varieties. Some 
reduction iu average 
size of the care is to 
be expected, but 1 
believe the yield may 
be increased in this 
way. It is much eas¬ 
ier to husk one large Smith’s Mixed 
ear thau two small Fig. 128. 
ones. Other reasons 
Against Stinginess in Seeding.— Waldo 
F. Brown says he "believes in heavy seeding” 
—10 pounds of clover if sown alone. W ell, I 
declare, if that is not heavy seeding! “15 
r pounds of Timothy, 
if sown for meadow 
without admixture; 
or five pounds of 
clover and a peck of 
Timothy.” Go over 
the meadows 
throughout ourcoun¬ 
try and you will find 
not one-half of the 
ground covered with 
grass roots, or half 
the available soil pro- 
d u c i n g anything. 
Why ‘ Because farm¬ 
ers are too sparing of 
their seed. For years 
1 have never consid¬ 
ered less thau one 
peek of Timothy and 
an equal amount of 
clover when mixed, 
or one-half to three- 
quarters of a bushel 
of Timothy or one- 
half a bushel of 
clover to the acre too 
f much seed. To give 
you a specimen of 
what l call heavy or 
extravagant seeding, 
1 sowed three-quart¬ 
ers of a bushel, or 45 
l>ouutls, of clover seed 
to the acre ou two 
acres of winter 
w h e a t, on snow. 
When the frost was 
out of the ground l 
ran a grain drill be¬ 
tween the rows, com¬ 
pletely stirring the 
soil and scattering 40 
bushels of air-slaked 
lime—iu one week’s 
time. I rolled this 
when quite dry, and 
left it until harvest. 
W e cut it with a 
Champion reaper and 
had to cut one foot 
high to prevent elo- 
A / El\<-rORXr‘L. 
Champaign. 
Fig. 180. 
Beaming 
Fig. 129. 
Murdock 
Fig. 127. 
Peyton’s Small Con. 
Fig. 120. 
Champion AVhite Pearl 
Fig. 133. ' 
Montioello. Burr’s White 
Fig. 181. Fig. 132. 
VARIETIES OF DENT CORN. 
