Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1911 — PROF. CHRISTIE SAYS HAVE SEED CORN PATCH. [ARTICLE]

PROF. CHRISTIE SAYS HAVE SEED CORN PATCH.

In Lecture at Richmond He Urged Farmers to Take Special Care About Seed Cultivation. 4 . . # In a lecture at Richmond Friday before the sixth district Short course for farmers, Prof. Christie, of Purdue university, said that one of the difficulties that confronted the farmer this year was to obtain desirable seed corn, as corn in Indiana and the adjoining states was in bad condition. He advised every farmer to select one hundred ears of his best corn, lay them out on a table, select therefrom the twenty-five ears that grade highest, and, after breaking «off tips and butts, use the kernels' remaining for planting. ‘‘These ears,” said Professor Christie, “should be planted in a separate bed on the south or west side of the field, to prevent the wind from blowing pollen from other corn into the seed bed. Every farmer can not have a breeding plot, but every farm can and should have a seed corn patch. This patch should be gone over as often as possible, removing the young stalks that knuckle over, barren and smutty. Should the stocks be well grows when this is noted, remove the tasseU Like produces like, and the offspring of a corn stalk that has been pollenated from the polleUofa smutty or barren stalk has a tendency to reproduce barren stalks.

“In the fall, go through the plot and pick out the best corn for the following year’s seed. It takes fourteen ears to plant an acre of corn, and by care* ful management the farmer should get seventy bushels therefrom. Each ear, therefore, produces five bushels of corn, and, if this sells for 50 cents a bushel, the seed ear is worth just $2.50. At this rate it is worth your while to germinate corn, for if we plant a poor ear we not only lose $2.50 but also the tinie and labor and the use of the land.

“Many elevator men in Indiana are putting in germinators and hiring men to germinate corn "'for farmers in the neighborhood. Thifc work is done free of cost, the elevator man paying the bill and getting his return in the higher grade product that is produced and brought to him to dispose of.” Professor Perry Crane, in his lecture talked of the farm separator and gave his large audience many new facts concerning the use of this modern device in the milk business. Machines, he said, should never be forced beyond their capacity, because of the fact that there will be a loss in the richness of the cream. “It is the abuse and not the use of the separator that has caused such a blow at the butter business in the last few years,” the speaker said. “If reasonable oare be taken w’ith separator cream there is no reason why butter can not be made that will compare favorably with the whole milk system.” •

Sergeant Frank Crosscup, of the 10th U. S. Infantry, came up from Fort Benjamin Harrison yesterday evening for a visit over Sunday! with his uncles, A. H. and A. R. Hopkins. He is well pleased with the army and expects to stay with it. His present pay is $33. If he re-enlists at the expiration of his first enlistment, which will be next September 28th, he will receive an advance of $3 a month, and if his regiment is sent to the Philippines or on other foreign service he will receive $43.20. When it is considered that the army provides fine quarters for the soldiers, feeds them, clothes them, provides medical attention and offers other comforts it is mighty good pay. Bernice Brown expects to Come home on a month’s furlough the last of this month.