HARVEST NUMBER 
Published by Original Funk Bros. Seed Co. 
Bloomington, Ill. and Associate Growers 
AUTUMN, 1940 
EASIER PICKING, MORE PROFIT WITH “G” HYRRIDS 
Save With “Tru-Drop” Round Kernel Seed 
"Gene” Funk (left), president Funk Bros. Seed Co. and founder of "G" Hybrids with Dave Thompson, 
Associate Editor of Prairie Farmer at the WLS microphone. 
Round Kernels Are 
Proved Just As 
Good for Seed 
By “RUSTY” LAIBLE 
Agricultural Adviser, Funk Bros. 
Seed Co. 
Reprinted From Sept. 21, 1940 
Issue of Prairie Farmer 
The large proportion of round kernels 
which are in the making for next year’s 
supply of hybrid seed is of course due 
to the extreme weather conditions which 
prevailed in many areas during the 
pollinating season. Whether the silks 
were wilted and, therefore, unable to 
receive pollen, or whether the pollen was 
killed by the heat is a matter of small 
importance. The fact remains that in 
many fields only 50% to 90% of the silks 
were fertilized and the kernels which 
have resulted in many cases are scattered 
over the ear. 
Why Kernels are Round 
It is a safe prediction at this time that 
the industry as a whole will have more 
large round kernels in proportion to the 
crop than have ever been produced since 
hybrid corn has become popular. Even 
though an ear is quite well filled, the 
number of round kernels is likely to be 
higher than usual, because when one silk 
fails to receive pollen, this leaves a blank 
space in the ear and the kernels which 
develop around this blank space are 
rounded and the grader will put them 
into the classification which the industry 
generally has come to call round kernel 
seed. 
Tribute to Manufacturers 
Even in fields where the production of 
hybrid seed per acre is going to be quite 
satisfactory, the increase in proportion 
of round kernels is very evident. Fortun¬ 
ately for the farmer customer the major 
hybrid corn producers have installed ex¬ 
pensive grading processing machinery 
which enables them to separate the 
different sizes and shapes of kernels into 
(Concluded on page 2) 
In a special program commemorating the 
twenty-fifth hybrid seed crop produced 
by Funk’s, President “Gene” Funk was 
the guest speaker on Dave Thompson’s 
Discussion Club program over Radio 
Station WLS, last month. 
Because Mr. Thompson, now Associate 
Editor of Prairie Farmer, was McLean 
County Farm Adviser at the time when 
much of Funk’s research which led to 
the development of hybrids, was under¬ 
way, he was able to recall many inter¬ 
esting episodes of that period. 
It was under Dave Thompson’s supervi¬ 
sion in 1915 that McLean County farm¬ 
ers subjected their corn to a test beside 
Mr. Funk’s 176A, in 1915. This strain, 
developed by line breeding, making use of 
genetic factors which were then put to 
work in hybrid breeding, Thompson, re¬ 
called, beat the farmers’ own corn in 
every test and probably did more than 
any other event to popularize the medium 
utility disease free type of ear. Thomp¬ 
son also recollected many of Funk’s earl¬ 
ier experiments with hand pollinations 
and detasseling, as well as actual hybrid 
work and county performance plots 
which followed the establishment of a 
Field Station of the U.S.D.A. at Funk 
Farms in 1917. 
Following the program, many WLS 
listeners availed themselves of an offer 
made over the broadcast to furnish in¬ 
terested persons a Booklet giving the 
history of the development of Commer¬ 
cial Hybrids on Funk Farms. Funks still 
have some of these booklets and readers 
of this bulletin may have a copy on re¬ 
quest as long as the supply lasts. Write 
the Bloomington, Illinois, office. 
HYBRID CORN QUIZ 
Test your corn knowledge on these 
questions. Then turn to the pages in¬ 
dicated and find the answers in ar¬ 
ticles in this bulletin. 
1. —Which state grows the highest 
proportion of hybrid corn? (page 2). 
2. —Can corn yields be consistently 
guessed within a margin of ten per¬ 
cent error? (page 2). 
3. —Which breed of hogs has the same 
color markings as a breed of cattle? 
(page 3). 
4. —How fast may a corn picking ma¬ 
chine be operated efficiently? (page 2). 
5. —Does it pay to grind hybrid corn 
for hogs and cattle? (page 3). 
6. —Is there any difference in yielding 
ability between round and flat kernel 
seed? (page 1). 
7. —How many years has hybrid seed 
corn been available? (page 1). 
Husking Records 
Show Funk Corn 
Cuts Harvest Costs 
Research Data Emphasizes Import¬ 
ance of Factors That Increase 
Efficiency in Hand Harvesting 
The individual farmer must decide 
for himself whether hand picking, 
a 2-row picker or a one-row picker is 
most efficient under his conditions. The 
system of farming that he is following, 
the acreage and yield of corn, the supply 
of regular labor available and prevailing 
prices and cost rates are factors that 
determine the system of harvesting. 
Because these factors vary so greatly 
between individual farms and because 
improvements in picker construction and 
harvesting methods have taken place so 
rapidly it is almost impossible to do 
more here than to give the costs and 
labor requirements for husking by hand 
so that each farmer can use these as a 
standard for determining the desirability 
of mechanical harvesting. 
Hybrids for Hand—Husking 
A survey made some years ago in East¬ 
ern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio by the 
Department of Agriculture showed a 
cost of $4.50 per acre to husk 50 bu. 
corn by hand. Of this amount, however, 
$1.88 was a direct cash cost for labor at 
5 V 2 cents per bushel, $2.24 was unpaid 
family and horse labor and 34 cents 
depreciation on wagon and elevators. 
In talking about the advantages of hy¬ 
brid corn for mechanical picking we are 
likely to overlook how these same ad¬ 
vantages help the hand husker. Farmers 
with a mind for figures used to think 
they were lucky if they could hire huskers 
who would get out an average of 10 
bushels of corn per hour in a good field 
yielding around 40 to 50 bushels. Above 
this average yield, an increase of 10 bu. 
per acre results in an increase of 1 
bushel per hour in the quanity husked. 
On their increased yields, as well as 
better standability and easier snapping, 
Funk’s “G” Hybrids, therefore give the 
hand husker a big advantage. 
Slim Pitzer, national corn-husking cham¬ 
pion and holder of the Indiana state 
record of 34.564 bu. in 80 minutes, re¬ 
tired this season after more than 10 
years as a contender in husking contests. 
Slim, who claims “G” Hybrids excel any 
(Concluded on page 2) 
Upstanding rows and ears at convenient height on short shanks 
make mechanical harvesting a pleasure in this Central Illinois 
"G" Hybrid Field. 
George Beach, Ashton, Illinois shows some G-114 ears on the 
farm of Ernest Sutton. This crop is one of the outstanding fields 
of corn in Lee County this season. 
