Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 December 1918 — The Neighborhood Corner [ARTICLE]

The Neighborhood Corner

Department of Farm Welfare Conducted by County Agent Stewart Learning.

Ear-to-Row Test Completed. . As a part of the general crop improvement propaganda being carried on 'by the farmers of the county, a number of corn growers have been conducting ear-to-row corn breeding trials for the purpose of selecting high producing strains of seed. The breeder selects his best ears and plants a. small portion of each ear in a row by itself. In the fall he weighs up the corn produced on each row and uses the remaining seed from the highest producing original ears for breeding work the next season. In a trial completed last week, carefully selected seed ears last spring showed a variation from 91 to 118 ears in a 50 hill row. One row produced 12 seed ears, while another produced 75. The weight of the seed ears varied from 8 to 55 pounds. On one row the number of barren stalks was 1, while in the next row there were 29. The yields of the rows varied from 64% to 79 pounds, or about\2o per cent. This is an illustration of the opportunities that exist for the corn breeder in eliminating the factors contributing to low yields. Potash Again. The attention of this office has been called to a supply of Potassium Carbonate imported from Russia by the War (Industrial Board of Russia and now stored in its warehouses in New York. This material is claimed to have been imported by the committee for use in the manufacture of muni- ’ tions, but a market is being sought for it as fertilizer. The price, $540 - per ton, would seem, to preclude its use by our farmers. Farm Record Meeting. A meeting will be held at the court house next Saturday afternoon, Dec. 21, at 2 o’clock. Mr.- M. H. Overton will speak on “Farm Accounts and Records,” and will explain the most practical methods of keeping farm accounts, and will show how they may be used to improve / the farm business. In different parts of the state farmers, by keeping records and eliminating unprofitable lines, have increased their yearly incomes from S2OO to SI,OOO. This is a good time of the year to attend such a meeting. Breeders’ Directory to be Issued. • All owners of pure bred livestock,

including poultry, the requested to send the breed and number on hand to the county agent before December 31. It is the intention of the Better Farming association to issue a directory of the breeders of the county for general distribution and all persons entitled to mention will find it to* their advantage to receive mention in this booklet. Corn Growers Hold Meeting. Six definite lines of work for the improvement of corn production in Jasper county were adopted as a program by a number of corn growers who met in Rensselaer last Saturday. These are as follows: 1. Conduct corn variety tests. 2. Control corn diseases. 3. Hold annual corn show. 4. Conduct corn breeding work. 5. Conduct 5 acre and 1 acre corn contests. 6. Conduct ear-to-row tests. Howard Jones, Eilt Toben, J. M. Sauser and H. E. Frame were selected to experiment with different varieties of corn next season to determine which are best adapted to their several localities. Qeorge Myers, Henry Paulus and P. H. Hauter were selected to have charge of the corn show to be held in connection with the poultry show the week beginnign January 7. Practically every farmer present pledged himself to select his 20 best seed ears and plant them by themselves on one side of the field as a plot from which to select seed corn next fall. Definite arrangements for the other projects were deferred until the corn meeting, which will be held at the court house Saturday, January 11. “Make Over Garment” Club*. The high cost of materials and ready made clothing is making it necessary that the housewife bring forth from hiding places—attic or storeroom—every usable scrap of wool, cotton, silk and linen to be utilized in making over into clothing or useful articles for the household. Not only scraps can be used hut cast off clothing may be redeemed by cleaning, turning, pressing, dyeing or recutting. With this end in ,view, girls “Make Over Garment” Clubs are being organized in Jasper county, and financed by the First National Bank of Rensselaer. The girls are using up old sheets and pillow cases for making bandages with which some “first aid” work is taught. They are.darajng and refooting old hose; patching and darning woolen and cotton garments; remaking underwear, waists, skirts, dresses and coats. They are also taught that careful laundering, pressing, sewing bn of buttons, hooks and eyes, will not only add to the general appearance of the wearer but

will also prolong the usefulness of. the garment. Two of these clubs are forking now. Four girls at South Meadow in Newton'township and a group of eleven girls at Newland. Several more groups are ready to begin work. Exhibits of the work will be made from time to time in various parts of the county.