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Show Increase in Acreage of Hybrid CornIs Corn CornIs CornIs Is Proving Profitable to U . S . Fanner Fal1.ner Fal1ner Farmer . r By JEROME MARKHAMReleued MARKHAMBeleesed MARKHAM MARKHAMCReIeaced ( ( CReIeaced Releued Beleesed by Western We t rn Newspaper Union . . I ) ICHICAGO CHICAGO - Hybrid Hybnd cornwhich corn . , , WhICh produces bigger cropson cropson crops ' on a smaller acreage , , has hasbrought hasbrought hasbrought brought to agriculture . , , for forthe forthe forthe the first time , the mdustrIal industrial mdustrIaltechmque industrialtechnique industrialtechnique techmque technique of standardIzed standardIzedparts standardizedparts standardizedparts parts and mass productionHYbrid productionHybrid production productionHybrid Hybrid is a tough pugilistic sort sortof sortof sortof of corn It battles storms and othervicissitudes other otherViCissitudes othervicissitudes ViCissitudes of the weather success successfully successfully successfully fully It beats off the attacks of ofbugs ofbugs ofbugs bugs and disease But most impor important important important tant It yields from 10 to 25 per cent centmore centmore centmore more per acre than the old types ofopen of ofopen ofopen open pollimted pollm1.ted pollm1ted pollinlted . corn Moreover It ItIS itis itis IS of superior qualityPractically qualityPractically quality qualityPractically Practically unknown to the aver average average average age farmer five years ago hybrid hybridcorn hybridcorn hybridcorn corn it is estimated estunated will be plant plant- planted planted planted - - ed on nearly 20 000 000 acres this thissprmg thisspring thisspring sprmg spring Most farmers who have havegro havegro havegro gro vn m vii hybrid are del ghted with the theresults theresults theresults results they have obtained obtamed Few Fewhowever Fewhowever Fewhowever however know how or why it came cameabout cameabout cameaboutIt cameabout about aboutIt It all goes back nearly a century centuryto centuryto to an old monastery garden in m Aus Austria Austria Austria tria There Gregor Johann Mendelpeasant Mendel Mendelpeasant Mendelpeasant peasant by birth monk and abbot of ofBrunn ofBrunn ' Brunn devoted hours of patient re research research research search to plant breeding breedmg In t me mehe mehe mehe he discovered the ruleshlch rules \ which \\hlch hlch gov govem govern govem em ern the inheritance of charactersand characters charactersand charactersand and the way those characters can canbe canbe canbe be separated by inbreeding mbreedlng In 1865 1865he 1865he 1865he he published a monograph entitledResearch entitledResearch entitled entitledResearch Research on Hybrid zation zatlOn The Thepaper Thepaper Thepaper paper attracted little attention Itwas It Itwas was \ as not until untli 1900 or 16 years after afterMendel afterMendel afterMendel Mendel s death that interest mterest waskindled waskindled was kindled III in lus his startling discovery Testing \ Mendel J\lendel J lendel s TheoryThen TheoryThen Theory TheoryThen Then scientists in m this country be begall begain began gall gain to use corn to test out Mendel s stheories stheories stheories theories G H Shull at the Car Carnegle Carnegie Carnegie negle negie experiment station E M MEast MEast MEast East at the University Umverslty of Illinoisand illmols Illinois illmolsand Illinoisand and Donald F Jones at the Umverslty University Umver Univer University slty sity of Connecticut did the pioneer pioneerwork pioneerwork pioneerwork work They found that by breedmg breeding breedinga breedmga a corn com plant to itself ( selflng selfing selling by byfertilizmg byfertilizing byfertilizing fertilizmg fertilizing he silks of a plant withpollen with withpollen withpollen pollen from the same plant ) ) strams strains stramswere stramswere strainswere were developed that looked poor but butd butd butd d d amazing things thmgs when crossed crossedWith crossedwith crossedwith With another inbred mbred strain stram . . . Doctor Jones paved the way torthe for forthe forthe the modem modern hybrid industry by sug suggestmg suggesting suggesting gestmg gesting in m 1919 the method now gen generally generally genorally erally used tor for combining combming mbred inbred mbredImes inbredImes inbredines Imes l ines into hybrid combmatlons combinations combmatlonsknown combinationsknown combinationsknown known as double crossesI crossesFirst crosses crossesFirst First step as has been.pomted beenpomted beenFpomted been . pointed I . -Jo Jo - ra raJo : y3a y3aI y , " ye , e I \ ' & st y3 y3d xy xyn : d 5 5xy n 4 + y yJ J . ! II IIs IIHIBRID w s HIBRID WINS CROWN-C CROWN C - - E Troyer of Larolltame LaI'ontaine LaIontaine ' . , Ind . , Ithose chose hybTld hybrid hybTldcorn hybridcorn corn II-On II On Icon . - Innt hunt the corn kmg king title toile at last year years yearsinternational s smternatlonal mternatlonal international lIVestock lIVestockexpositIOn expositIOn lS is congratulated by Ins his fTlends friends out is selflng selfing selling The breeder starts startsWith startswith startswith With a good ear from eome wme some stand standand standard ard and productive variety After plant plantmg plantring planting mg ring he covers the shoots with a apaper apaper apaper paper bag before the silks are ex exposed exposed exposed posed When the tassels start to toshed toshed toshed shed their pollen the silks are arecarefully arecarefully arecarefully carefully fertilized and then kept keptcovered keptcovered keptcovered covered so thatno that no other pollen can canreach canreach canreach reach them themResult Result Is AmazingNext AmazingNext Amazing AmazingNext Next step is to cross these in inbreds inbreds inbreds breds The result of this singlecross smgle single smglecross singlecross cross is startling startlmg For some rea reason reason reason son that science cannot yet expiam explain expiamthe explainthe explainthe the offspring offsprmg of these runty inbreds inbredsis IS an amazingly strong vigorous vigorousand vigorousand vigorousand and large plant plantThen plantThen plantThen Then the breeder takes two single singlecrosses singlecrosses singlecrosses crosses crosseshlch \ which \\hlch hlch tests have proved to tobe tobe tobe be good and crosses them Thisdouble Thisdouble This Thisdouble double cross is a combination combmatlon ot of otfour offour offour four inbred mbred parents Again Agam the tedlous tedl tedi tedlous tedious ous process of trial and error is re repeated repeated repeated peated until the breeder finally gets getsa a comb nat on on that includes mcludes high highYleldmg highyielding highyielding Yleldmg yielding ab lity strong roots stiff stiffstalks stiffstalks stiffstalks stalks and a high quality ear w th a amysterious amysterious amysterious mysterious vigor that results from hybridization hybridizationNow Now the standard parts are avail available available available able for marketing to the farmer as ascommercial ascommercial ascommercial commercial hybrid seed Mass pro productlon production production ductlon duction is the next stepFertilization stepFertillzation step stepFertilization Fertilization Fertillzation ImportantOne ImportantOne Important ImportantOne One of the important results of o1 the thesWitch theswitch theswitch sWitch to hybrid is the change it ithas ithas Ithas has wrought in the attitude of o1 many manyfarmers manyfarmers manyfarmers farmers toward fertilization ferWIzatlOn Stabs Statis Stabsticlans Statistlcians Statisticians ticlans tlcians have figured out that 50 bush bushels bushels bushels els of corn ( not a remarkably high highYield highyield highyield Yield as hybrids go ) removes about75 about 75 pounds of nitrogen mtrogen from the soil soilIt soilIt soilIt It takes out about 21 pounds of phos phosphorus phosphorus phosphorus phorus and about 41 pounds of pot potash potash potash ash Bigger yields naturally make makeeven makeeven makeeven even greater demands on the soil sfertility sfertilityThus s sfertili sfertility fertili fertility ty tyThus fertilityThus Thus remarkable as hybrid seed seedis seedis seedis is it has to be accompanied accompamed by a awell awell awell well rounded program of soil man management management management agement and the use of fertil fertll zer If Ifresults ifresults ifresults results m in the form of high produc productlon production production tlon tion are to be maintained Only Onlythen Onlythen Onlythen then is there a satisfactory sahsfactory replace replacement replacement replacernent ment rnent of the essential plant food ele elements d elements c cmerits ments merits which hybrid corn removes removesfrom removesfrom removesfrom from the so I 1 , . ? |
