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36. SEED CATALOGUE AND GARDEN GUIDE.

[image] S. S. BARR, ORIGINATOR GOLDEN WEST.

WHAT THE ORIGINATOR SAYS:
The Golden West Corn originated on the farm of Mr. S. S. Barr in Eastern Iowa, who has made a life study of the corn plant from a scientific standpoint, as well as working out his theories in a practical manner on his own farm. In response to a letter in which we asked him to give, in his own language, full particulars regarding this new variety, he replies:
IOWA SEED CO., DES MOINES, IOWA.
GENTLEMEN:--I hand you a photo of the new yellow corn, the result of many years of careful intelligent breeding, conducted on the only true method for the permanent improvement of types of corn. The stalk, leaf and manner of earing much resemble the Silver Mine, but the ears are larger. The stalk is thick at the ground, short-jointed, has very broad leaves and deep yellow ear, uniform in character. Grain is wide and thick, cobs red and velvety. The ears represented by the photograph are twenty-rowed, eleven inches long and 8 1/2 inches in circumference.
The last two seasons have been extremes; 1901 excessively hot and dry, 1902, on the contrary, cold and wet. In other words, it gave us great extremes of climatic conditions, and any new variety that passed these two seasons more favorably than the old sorts has much to its credit. This, the Golden West did. It is characteristic of it to retain the leaf green after the ear is ripe and husk yellow.
You ask for full particulars concerning this corn which I would gladly give, but to do so would require a very long communication. It would involve the whole theoretic, scientific, as well as the practical phase of plant improvement relating to corn, which, so far, has never been intelligently written or practiced, but only approached by wrongly assumed premises. Along such lines as indicated above I have worked in later years, after learning my methods by the failure of many former years, and by such methods I have produced this new variety. Perfection is not claimed, only that it is well and correctly founded, well established, and I believe, capable of adding millions to the wealth of the western farmers, over what, for the most part, they now plant. Vast treasures of soil, rain and sunlight are being annually wasted by trifling with varieties of corn not capable of utilizing them. To fill this want Golden West was planned. The Iowa Seed Co. and a few other men working alone and almost unappreciated, have done great good, but the work of improvement for lasting effect has just begun." Yours truly, S. S. BARR.

"And the maize field grew and ripened
Till it stood in all the splendor
Of its garments green and yellow,
Of its tassels and its plumage,
And the maize ears full and shining
Gleamed from bursting sheaves of verdure."
--Longfellow's Hiawatha.

IT PAYS TO
Think
JUST CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE.
The corn crop of Iowa averages 300,000,000 bushels, worth $105,000,000. If our improved varieties were grown exclusively the crop would have been fully 20 per cent more and worth 10 per cent higher value, a difference of $33,600,000.

NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE
whether in Maine or California, Canada or Mexico, it will pay you to plant Iowa Seed Co.'s Choice Seed Corn
THIS YEAR.

[image] Notice Wide Leaves and Sturdy Growth.

CORN JUDGING.
Most farmers think they know what good corn is but are unable to give the reasons why one ear of corn is positively superior to another. For the benefit of our customers we have prepared a short treatise on corn judging, including a score card and directions for its use. Fully illustrated. While a course in the Corn Judging School is the most desirable, still, few think they can afford the time or expense, and a little practice with our system will enable you to become fairly expert, and may be worth thousands of dollars to you. Ask for our Corn Judging Manual. Price 10 cents per copy, or we will send one free to anyone ordering seed corn from us this year, if they request it.

Meeker Smoothing Harrow.
We value this more highly than any other implement of the kind. Ask for descriptive circular. It is specially desirable for small crops. Price $25.00.

WONDERS OF THE CORN CROP.
Very few appreciate the possibilities of the corn crop and the difference between a big crop and the average. This difference is largely made from planting ordinary or pure bred seed corn. Let us start with just one kernel of corn and base our figures on the average crop of the prize winners in the great corn contest, 176 bushels per acre:
1st. year Plant 1 kernel Iowa Silver mine, produce 1 1/4 lbs. shelled corn.
2nd. [year Plant] 1-5 acre [Iowa Silver mine, produce] 35 bushels [shelled corn.]
3rd. [year Plant] 280 acres [Iowa Silver mine, produce] 49,280 [bushels shelled corn.]
4th. [year Plant] 394,240 [acres Iowa Silver mine, produce] 69,386,240 [bushels shelled corn.]
or sufficient to fill the largest elevator in the world about 14 times, as a product in four years, from only one kernal [kernel] of Iowa Silver Mine.

As a comparison, take the average crop of the U. S., 29 bushels per acre:
1st. year. Plant 1 kernal [kernel] ordinary corn, produce 1/2 lb. shelled corn.
2nd. [year. Plant] 1-14 acre [ordinary corn, produce] 2 bushels [shelled corn.]
3rd. [year. Plant] 16 acres [ordinary corn, produce] 464 [bushels shelled corn.]
4th. [year. Plant] 3,712 [acres ordinary corn, produce] 107,648 [bushels shelled corn.]
Thus at the end of only 4 years the Iowa Silver Mine has produced 644 times as much as ordinary corn. Do you wonder that some farmers get rich while others in the same locality barely make a living.

[image] Largest Elevator in the World. Capacity 5,000,000 bushels.

"OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IOWA AFFORDS THE BEST." OUR SEED CORN IS NO EXCEPTION.