iu2 a 
t 
it is a necessary thing to make this poor eastern land 
productive. Our public land has nearly all been given 
away, and in a few years, if we are not careful, we 
shall be put to it if we are going to feed the Ameri¬ 
can people. With this idea in mind, Mr. Quinion says 
he feels perfectly safe in spending his money for chemi¬ 
cals in order to improve this poor land. He says he 
intends to keep at it until every tillable acre of his 412 
receives its annual dressing of fertilizer. Mr. Quinion 
has given the figures for the 21 acres of land, which 
thus far he has put into grass. This land cost him 
originally $7.74 per acre. In the Spring of 1908 he 
plowed this land, which was then covered with five- 
finger and golden-rod. He used at that time 200 
pounds per acre of mixed fertilizer and sowed it to 
oats. The yield was 16^2 bushels to the acre, and in 
the Fall he plowed the land again. In 1909 he seeded 
the land to oats and grass, using 600 pounds of fer¬ 
tilizer to the acre. The oats were estimated at 35 to 
40 bushels, and to-day there is a perfect carpet of grass 
which gives every evidence of growing 2]/ 2 tons to the 
acre next year. 
The cost of all this is figured as follows: Cost of 
land, 21 acres, $152.54; cost of fertilizers, $378; 
Timothy seed, $27.60; clover seed, $36; extra fertilizer 
as a top-dressing, $213.15. This makes a total cost of 
$817.29, including the original cost of the land. As 
returns from this investment Mr. Quinion has oat 
straw worth $147; 1181^ bushels of oats worth $550, 
and 52J4 tons of hay worth $1050, or a total of $1747, 
and with proper top-dressing with a right kind of fer¬ 
tilizer this field can be kept three or four years without 
reseeding. We do not understand that Mr. Quinion 
spent as much time in preparing this soil for seeding 
as the late Geo. M. Clark did, but anyone who will 
go over those figures will realize that this must be a 
pretty good part of the country where a man can in 
two years time pay for all the land, all the labor, and 
make a profit besides, at growing hay. 
SELECTION OF CORN FOR EXHIBITIONS. 
Definition of Seed and Show Corn. 
Part II. 
USE OF SCORE CARDS.—The writer, so far as 
he knows, was the first person to use score cards in the 
systematic teaching of corn judging, introducing this 
method at the University of Illinois in 1898. He has 
been intimately concerned in the development of the 
corn score card in that and other States since that 
time, and in its use in the judging of samples of corn 
at large and small exhibitions. This statement is made 
to show the writer’s unshaken belief in the utility of 
corn score cards for the study of corn. However, I 
am firmly of the opinion that too much importance 
can be given to the score card in the selection of seed 
or show corn, and that positive harm can result from 
a wrong interpretation of its object or a misunder¬ 
standing of its use. A corn score card represents an 
effort by experienced corn judges to systematize the 
study and comparison of samples of corn. The relative 
importance given to the various points of the score 
card indicates, so far as our present knowledge pre¬ 
sents, the value of these points mathematically in the 
make-up of an ear or sample of ears of corn. There 
are characters in corn, however, that cannot be ex¬ 
pressed mathematically or even described intelligently, 
that can only be recognized by the experienced judge. 
One might call it intuitive knowledge, gained from 
experience. The score card, however, has proven to 
be of great assistance in the study of corn, has pro¬ 
moted an interest in the subject, and from its use and 
study many of our most successful corn breeders and 
judges have been developed. 
In recent issues of New England agricultural papers 
score cards for flint and dent corns are suggested for 
use in selecting exhibits for the coming New England 
Corn Exposition, November 7-12, and the points dis¬ 
cussed at length. A careful study of corn in the light 
of these score cards, copies of which can be secured 
by writing the Secretary of New England Corn Ex¬ 
position, Amherst, Mass., and standards will be most 
helpful in the selection of exposition samples. The 
writer suggests the following outline of points for ad¬ 
ditional study, and further to assist the exhibitor at 
this or other corn shows in the study of his samples: 
I divide this study of field corn into four points, viz., 
(1) yield or productiveness, (2) maturity, (3) vitality, 
and (4) variety characteristics. The relative mathe¬ 
matical value of these points will depend on the kind of 
corn, location and purpose for which it is grown. The 
yield characters are grouped as follows: Size of ear, 
shape of ear, weight of kernel, weight of cob, filling out 
of tips, filling out of butts, shape of kernel, size of ker¬ 
nel, space between kernels, space between rows of ker¬ 
nels, and arrangement of kernels on the cob. The stand¬ 
ard or ideal development of these characters will depend 
on many conditions, and the difficulty in setting any 
standards is due to our lack of knowledge of the 
actual importance of these characters, and to the di- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
versity of practical farm conditions. As the study of 
corn progresses, experience and experiments multiply, 
many of these difficulties will be overcome. In general 
the writer believes that the heaviest mature dry ear of a 
given variety grown under normal conditions is the 
best ear. I have selected the heavy, cylindrical-shaped 
ears of a given variety of field corn and have usually 
found them to have deep kernels, to be well filled over 
the tip and butt, with wedge-shaped kernels, without 
space at the tips or tops of kernels, and with straight 
uniform rows of kernels. In a show sample it is im¬ 
portant that the ears be alike with regard to these char¬ 
acters so as to present a uniform appearance. This is 
particularly true of dent varieties, where the character 
of the indentation plays an important part in the ap¬ 
pearance of the samples. The maturity of the ear, par¬ 
ticularly in the case of dent ears, is important in the 
show sample, and can be judged fairly well at least by 
the soundness, dryness and market condition of ears. 
The vitality of a sample can only be fully determined 
by actual test. However, the size, color and shape of 
the germ will give to the corn grower or the student 
some idea of the vitality of the seed. The writer se¬ 
lects a large, full germ with bright color, and discards 
the ears bearing kernels having small, irregular, dark, 
greasy colored germs. The variety characteristics, i. e., 
color of kernels and cob, indentation, etc., which might 
be summed up in the word type, are difficult to de¬ 
scribe, and can best be learned by comparison with 
known typical ears of the variety. Other things being 
equal, the writer believes that preference should be 
given to uniform samples of established varieties. 
CO-OPERATIVE STUDY.—The writer wishes to 
urge the possibilities here in New England of corn 
growers’ associations, corn clubs, Granges or other 
farm organizations for the purpose of mutual help in 
the study of corn. The combined experience of grow¬ 
ers will make possible the arranging of intelligent 
score cards, adapted to local varieties and conditions. 
Such clubs elsewhere have been found to be a vitally 
interesting and practical manner of gathering and giv¬ 
ing information. This is especially true for the selec¬ 
tion of show samples, at local or other exhibitions 
where trained judges can be called upon for assistance 
and demonstrations. 
PREPARATION OF SAMPLES.—In preparing 
the finally selected ears for exhibition, they should be 
thoroughly cleaned and the shank trimmed off at the 
butt of the ear, and all reasonable precaution taken to 
improve the appearance of the sample. When ready 
to pack or ship, each ear should be carefully wrapped 
in a piece of newspaper or soft dry paper and care¬ 
fully but firmly packed to avoid jostling about in the 
case or box. The sample, or one or more ears, should 
be plainly and carefully labelled, with the exhibit letter 
or number or name and with the grower’s name and 
address. In past expositions much confusion has been 
caused by a failure of the exhibitor to state these facts. 
If possible the exhibitor should attend to these details 
personally. It is not enough to write these details on 
the box in which the sample is packed, as in the rush 
of installing exhibits the samples are frequently sepa¬ 
rated from the boxes in which they are shipped. So 
the character of the exhibit and the exhibitor’s name 
and address should be carefully attached to one or 
more ears of the sample itself. Finally, the exhibitor 
should visit the exposition, find his sample or samples, 
compare it with others, and determine for himself its 
deficiencies or good qualities. If possible, information 
should be sought, at the proper time, from the judges, 
as to comparative value of the exhibit and suggestions 
for improvement in the selections of future samples. 
If better samples are shown, information as to their 
growing should be sought, and if desirable, seed should 
be procured and tested in comparison with the grow¬ 
er’s own seed. In this way, by following up the results 
of the exhibit, ultimate better results will be secured 
from a financial standpoint, and a new and wonderfully 
interesting field of study opened up. 
Hartford, Conn. a. d. shamei.. 
A MEANINGLESS “CONTRACT.” 
A says to B: “I will rent you my farm for one-lialf 
shares.” In a general way what does that imply? What 
would A furnish except the farm? What would I? be 
required to do? information. 
Indiana. 
In all contracts there must be an offer and an ac¬ 
ceptance. This offer must be in some language which 
is understood, and the acceptance must be definite and 
final. In the stock market words are spoken which 
are wholly unintelligible to the outsider, acceptance is 
made by a nod of the head, and transactions involving 
thousands of dollars are consummated. These trans¬ 
actions are interpreted in the light of fixed customs and 
misunderstandings seldom occur. If this contract 
which you speak of had been consummated in a dis¬ 
trict where farms were constantly being rented and 
fixed customs prevailed it would probably be inter¬ 
preted in the light of those customs. In the absence 
of such local conditions or customs the words would 
November 5, 
be taken in their ordinary meaning. There are no 
conditions as to what crops should be raised or how 
or when. Shares would be interpreted to mean that 
the owner should receive one-half of what the renter 
saw fit to raise. In other words, the contract from the 
standpoint of the owner of the land would be a useless 
form unless the renter cared to make it valuable for 
both. Nothing could better illustrate the folly r f 
making verbal contracts or written contracts which 
are not clearly understood by both parties. 
THE EXPRESS COMPANY ROBBERS. 
Another Senator on Parcels Post. 
I am glad to see that you are after the express com¬ 
panies in their efforts to defeat the movement looking 
towards a parcels post service by the Government. 
They have certainly had a monopoly of this business 
too long, and I hope that there will be no let up in this 
fight until a parcels post service has been established. 
Recently I undertook to make an express shipment of 
a basket of peaches, weighing in all about 14 pounds. 
The shipment was to go from Bryn Mawr, near Phil¬ 
adelphia, to Lebanon Springs, N. Y., a distance of 
about 250 miles. The express rate charged by the com¬ 
pany was “$2.32 as far as Pittsfield, Mass.” As Pitts¬ 
field, Mass., is on an entirely different line from Leb¬ 
anon Springs, being on the Berkshire Division of the 
New York & New Haven, instead of the Harlem Di¬ 
vision of the New York Central, and as it is farther 
than Lebanon Springs, and 50 miles by rail therefrom, 
I seriously objected, and requested that the shipment 
be made over the Harlem Division of the Central, 
using New York as the transfer point instead of Pitts¬ 
field. I was told that this would be impossible, as it 
was the company’s policy to retain shipments in their 
hands to the most distant transfer point feasible, in 
order that their collection might be larger, and the 
agent assured us that should the transfer be made at 
New York the difference between that charge and the 
Pittsfield charge would be expensed back against him 
personally. It is needless to say that the shipment did 
not go forward, and the express company in this case, 
at least, lost through its unreasonable demands. In¬ 
stead of $2.32, 40 or 50 cents would have been ample 
for the service. 
I am enclosing herewith a copy of a letter recently 
sent to Hon. Boies Penrose, at Washington, D. C, who, 
as you know, occupies a chairman’s position in connec¬ 
tion with the committee’s work on postal matters in 
Congress, and I also enclose his reply. You will see 
by his reply that he merely denies the existence of a 
movement, which is well known to be on foot, and that 
he entirely omits all reference to the parcels post sub¬ 
ject. It is not the first time that I have written him 
in this connection, nor is it the first time that he has 
dodged the point. We think a man like this, who is 
apparently playing into the hands of the express com¬ 
panies, and who systematically ignores the best inter¬ 
ests of his constituents, is a good man to leave at home 
all by his lonesome when election day comes around. 
It is high time that the men sent to represent the 
people in the State and National Government should 
represent them rather than the special interests of 
those who want to make capital out of juggling legis¬ 
lation. w. H. HARRISON. 
Pennsylvania. 
R. N.-Y.—The letter to Senator Penrose stated that 
there is a movement on foot to put the handling of mail 
on the rural free deliveries in the hands of contractors. 
Mr. Harrison asked the Senator to oppose any such 
change, and also to help us get a parcels post. Here 
is a paragraph from this strong and dignified letter: 
We ask that you give these matters your attention 
as they come before you, using every effort to defeat 
the first movement and secure the success of the parcels 
post. We take the same stand as thousands of other 
thinking men throughout the country that we are willing 
and glad to sustain the people’s representative in the 
national government who work for the good of the country 
as we see it, hut on the other hand, we could not find 
it in our power to give our support to any except those 
who stand firm by the principles, and use every effort 
to secure the success of the movements which we are 
convinced are best. 
Here was a chance for Mr. Penrose to rise up and 
do something, or at least express a willingness to 
move. Pie does neither, but merely says: 
Dear Sir:—I have your letter of the 20th instant in 
which you state that there is a campaign on foot to 
place the handling of mail on rural free delivery routes 
in the hands of contractors, and you are informed that I 
find, upon investigation at the Post Office Department, 
that this is merely a rumor and that there is no founda¬ 
tion whatever for the truth of the statement. 
Yours truly, 
BOIES PENROSE. 
Now there is a star performer for the common peo¬ 
ple! He wants to do the thinking for the people of 
Pennsylvania. If they ever get a fair chance at him 
they will do some voting that will make him think 
harder than he ever did before. 
