1910. 
'THE; RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1119 
THE NEW ENGLAND CORN SHOW. 
Part II. 
Last week I mentioned the prize corn 
grown by Perlcy E. Davis. A western 
man is inclined to hoot at the idea that 
New England can become a profitable 
agricultural section. As his view is a 
common one out West we should read 
what he says: 
I don't think you can produce any indus¬ 
trial revolution on the lines you suggest 
of turning New England into a North Da¬ 
kota wheat bonanza. Outside of the Con¬ 
necticut Valley and a few other limited 
areas, the pickings down there are pretty 
lean. The old glaciers must have scraped 
all the fertile soil off the land and carried 
it into the Atlantic Ocean. That is one 
fact that you can’t beat, and I think your 
visions of changing history are rather opti¬ 
mistic. New England is a manufacturing 
district, and that is another fact that can¬ 
not be altered. Don't forget it was the bar¬ 
renness of the soil that made New England 
what it is, originated “Yankee notions’” and 
sent the most enterprising part of it out to 
the Mississippi Valley. I am a New Eng¬ 
lander by adoption and grace, and the only 
thing I am sorry for is that 1 did not come 
out here earlier. In short, you can't make 
a silk purse out of a sow's ear, though you 
may be able to do wonderful things with it. 
Wisconsin. g. w. c. 
It will be said by such critics that Mr. 
Davis took very superior soil and put it 
into training for several years in order 
to produce this big yield. In order to 
settle that the following letter from Mr. 
Davis is printed: 
To begin with, in the Spring of 1900 
this piece was all run out of cultivated 
grass, and was plowed and fitted for pota¬ 
toes and cauliflower. The potatoes were 
planted with about 1,000 pounds of fer¬ 
tilizer and the cauliflower was planted 
with a fair coat of stable manure and 
about 1,000 pounds of fertilizer. This soil 
is a medium sandy loam with good natural 
drainage. The cauliflower was on the 
ground so late the land was bare through 
Winter. Last of March I was able to plow 
it and then harrowed it every few days 
until May 25, when the corn was planted. 
At time of planting I applied 1,300 pounds 
of fertilizer broadcast and harrowed in 
(would advise using say 300 pounds in 
drills). The seed is a cross between a 
type of Longfellow and a snmll-cob early 
variety, which was made over 20 years ago, 
and has been selected and kept pure ever 
since. After seed was planted, which was 
tested, cultivation began with a perfect 
stand obtained. In June 300 pounds more 
fertilizer was applied, and August 1 300 
pounds more, and cultivated in ; no manure 
was allowed in this contest of any kind 
except Stockbridge manure for corn. All 
suckers were removed. p. e. davis. 
This shows that the soil was ordinary 
New England meadow run out so that 
the grass had failed. It was like thou¬ 
sands of other acres in New England 
which, as our western friend says, "are 
pretty lean.” This is not by any means 
the best New England soil, but we will 
match this yield of corn for profit against 
the record from the best acre in the 
western corn belt. Last week we figured 
the income from this acre at $130 as 
feeding value alone. Now let the owner 
of the best western cornfield come for¬ 
ward and show what a single acre has 
produced—in feeding value! Those “old 
glaciers” perhaps ought to have “scraped 
all the fertile soil off the land,” but 
somehow they failed to do it, and there 
is enough left for corn, hens and apples. 
There were other records at this show 
nearly as good as that made by Mr. 
Davis. While most of the corn exhibited 
was a dark yellow flint, there were some 
native dents which made a good show¬ 
ing. In fact one dent variety gave 133 
bushels of shelled corn as it came from 
the field, but the shrinkage when tested 
as crib-dry was much more than for the 
flint. I should say as an off-hand esti¬ 
mate that 90 per cent of the exhibits 
were flint varieties. One of the most 
striking exhibits was found in the white 
flint from Rhode Island. This corn is 
peculiar to the little State; a white com 
somewhat like it is also quite largely 
grown in Dutchess Co., N. Y. When I. 
asked why the Rhode Island farmers 
grew this white corn the first answer 
was that they liked the white meal for 
their johnny cake. The sifted meal from 
this white corn is highly prized. In 
talking with farmers who grow this corn 
I found that these white varieties or 
strains have been selected for many 
years until they have become exactly 
suited to the climate and soil. Other 
kinds have been tried, but these whites 
prove more productive and give great 
yields. One farmer who grows an¬ 
nually about 35 acres of corn told me of 
a measured acre which gave 200 bushel 
baskets of ears. The usual yield is about 
70 bushels of shelled corn per acre, 
which will bring $1.10 per bushel be¬ 
sides the fodder, which is worth for 
horse feeding nearly as much as hay. 
This does not mean high manuring or 
fertilizing, but is the result of good cul¬ 
ture and a variety which for many years 
has been adapted to that particular kind 
of soil. You might say that the “pick¬ 
ings” of soil in Rhode Island ought to 
be “pretty lean,” since these old glaciers 
which our western friend mentions 
must have scraped extra hard as they 
slid off into the ocean. Yet we want 
him or anyone else to take us to some 
western locality where an acre of corn 
will return an income of nearly $90 per 
acre for grain and fodder! Another 
thing brought out at this show was the 
value of silage corn in New England. 
We will take that up next week. 
h. w. c. 
NATIONAL NUT GROWERS’ MEETING. 
PART II. 
While there are diseases that affect 
pecans, and some insects, too, none of them 
exists at this time that cannot be con¬ 
trolled. Where care is used in the selec¬ 
tion of varieties and proper cultivation and 
fertilization follows their transplanting, no 
serious results will follow. Pecans in com¬ 
mon with all nut trees require intelligent 
attention, and the planter who sets his 
trees and leaves them to the fortunes of 
weather and neglect will never harvest fruit. 
There is an unusual demand this season for 
all kinds of nut trees and especially pecans. 
Several nurseries in the South make a 
specialty of these trees, and around Mou- 
ticello alone, there are probably a quarter 
of a million trees ready lor the trade this 
season and a million seedlings to be budded 
and grafted for coming seasons. Nearly 
all growers have already sold out. It has 
been only within the decade that groves 
of budded and grafted trees have been set 
out to any extent, and the coming into bear¬ 
ing of these has given renewed interest to 
the industry. 
The association encourages especially the 
planting of nut trees by every person with 
laud enough for one or more trees, either 
for shade or fruit. They can be planted 
in the yards, gardens, along fence rows 
where land is not available in the fields. 
As a commercial proposition the planting of 
nut trees, especially pecans, seems to offer 
splendid opportunities for investment, but 
persons going into the industry should 
know well in advance that proper varieties 
will be planted on soil suited to them, and 
that careful, intelligent care will be given 
them afterward. The exaggerated state¬ 
ments of some “development” companies 
were the occasion of special comment by 
Mr. J. B. Wight, of Cairo, Ga., the presi¬ 
dent of the association, in his annual ad¬ 
dress. lie did not wish to be understood 
as condemning persons simply because they 
set out trees for the purpose of selling to 
others provided they are conducting hon¬ 
est business and keeping agreements. Lie 
said, “There are those in the business who 
with little or no knowledge of the industry, 
are exploiting it simply for the money there 
is to be made out of it without any regard 
to the welfare of the purchasers. Some by 
garbled facts aud one-sided statements have 
excited in purchasers hopes that will never 
be realized. Many will be disappointed, 
some may lose money. I insist that these 
companies deal fairly with investors, and 
advise investors to look well before they 
leap. There is money to be made in legiti¬ 
mate, intelligent pecan growing—and there 
is money to be lost when it is enterprised 
otherwise.” Among the nut growers most 
active in extending this industry, which is 
becoming of so much importance through¬ 
out the country, is a large number of men 
with scientific training and with practical 
experience gained by several years devoted 
to the work. Probably in no convention is 
there to be found a larger proportion of 
able men than in the convention of nut 
growers. At the meeting just held, there 
were delegates from about 20 States, show¬ 
ing the widespread interest in the indus¬ 
try. There was a noticeable absence of 
commercialism at the meeting. 
At the linal meeting the following officers 
were elected: President, II. K. Miller, 
Monticello, Fla.; first vice-president. Dr. J. 
B. Curtis, Orange Heights, Fla.; second 
vice-president, Herbert C. White, DeWitt, 
Ga.; secretary. Dr. J. F. Wilson, l’oulan, 
Ga. Mr. J. B. Wight, the retiring presi¬ 
dent, had held the office for two terms, 
although it is generally understood that it 
passes after one year. His fitness for the 
office, popularity among the membership, 
and his work for the industry, resulted in 
his second election. He is one of the most 
successful nut growers in the association 
and might be said to have a national repu¬ 
tation in the industry. Prof. II. Iv. Miller, 
the new president, is one of the most prom¬ 
inent nut growers in the South. After his 
graduation he took up work as chemist at 
the Experiment Station in Alabama, his 
native State. Later he was chemist at the 
Florida Station, going from there to the 
North Carolina Station. He returned to 
Florida in 1899 as professor of chemistry 
in the University of I’lorida, at the same 
time doing practical work in connection 
with the State Experiment Station. He 
resigned to enter the work for himself, and 
since 1904 has been the active head of the 
Summit Nurseries. He has extensive or¬ 
chard plantings at Monticello, and is recog¬ 
nized as authority on pecan subjects. 
w. N. ROPER. 
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220,000 Families Now Use 
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