Vermilion County, Illinois - Chapter 22: Agricultural Interests, 1911

Vermilion County has been noted for its farms and farming interests. The southern part of the county was early settled by an industrious and seriousminded people, and the fertile lands were duly made into fine farms. The introduction of short-horned cattle into that section by Harvey Sodowsky awakened an interest in the raising of well-bred stock, and gave an impetus to cattle breeding which could not have been secured otherwise.

The Sandusky family, which was a large one and in which there was much landed interest, all were good stock men, and took great pride in the cattle they could show. Mr. Josiah Sandusky made a specialty of showing stock at fairs, and was almost always a prize winner. His breed of cattle was the shorthorns. Mr. Sandusky was also a noted breeder of horses. His line was roadsters and trotters. He had many horses whose record was 2 :2O.

Vermilion County has produced much valuable stock in the line of horses, both as fast-going animals and as heavy breeds. Mr. Lew Green of Carroll township, is at present the most extensive breeder. Mr. Buchanan of Georgetown, has produced some nice horses. Mr. Thomas Bennett of Rossville, was at one time an extensive breeder of horses which took premiums at the state fairs. Mr. Bennett was and yet is a large breeder of the Duroc Jersey swine. His farm, near Rossville, has been the place for years from which this stock goes to every part of the United States and Canada. He has done much to introduce other than the popular Poland-China swine into Vermilion County.

The great prairie lands of a part of Vermilion County were utilized as grazing lands for cattle until since it was estimated that their value per acre was too much to warrant such a use, and the feeding of cattle to any great extent has passed from this section. The Gundy family in Newell township, the Sanduskys, and John Sidell together with John Sconce in the southern part of the county, as well as the Sullivans in Sidell township at yet an earlier day, and the Collisons in the western part, all made this industry a paying business twenty years ago. Cattle and swine were bought in the Chicago markets or from smaller farms and put on pasture on the grassy plains and then fed for sale when their condition was satisfactory.

In the early days the cattle and swine were driven to market. And since the market was at Philadelphia or New York City, this getting of the stock so far in good condition was a task. There are yet men who have driven or who knew men who drove their stock as far as these places. It was not an uncommon sight to see droves of cattle, or swine go through the streets of Danville on their way through the county to the eastern market. Later the shipping was made by the Wabash Railroad, and the stock was driven to State Line from any point west of there to be loaded on the cars. It was no strange thing to see Mr. Andy Gundy send a trainload of swine on the Wabash to New York City.

There was much corn raised, and it was more profitable to feed this corn and sell the finished product than to sell the corn itself. But that period of the history of Vermilion County is long since passed. It is only here and there that the value of stock raising is appreciated, and the land is urged to go to its limit in grain production without the help it should have from the addition of stock.

The poultry interest finds many enthusiasts in the county. A poultry association is sustained and the annual meeting in January brings out a crowd. Among the fanciers are to be numbered O. L. McCord, Mr. Russel, Mr. Johnson, Dr. Jones of Sidell, and others so numerous as to forbid mention. Catlin township has been prolific in producing poultry men. The state poultry show has met in Danville several times. While the breeder of fancy poultry has been much in evidence, the influence of his care has had its effect on the farmer and small breeder of poultry to the extent of raising the standard throughout the county. The flocks of poor bred poultry so prevalent even ten and fifteen years ago, have disappeared, and well selected well culled fowl are to be seen along the highways or in the enclosures of the farms of the county.

As much cannot be said of fruit growing in Vermilion County as of stock raising. Much more interest might be taken in this branch of agricultural pursuits to an advantage to the county. Most of the farm homes have some attempt to having a few trees, from which fruit for the use of the family can be gathered, but there is little effort to make this branch one of profit.

In 1860, W. W. Littell came to Oakwood township from Middletown, Ohio. He brought about a half bushel of peach seed with him and planted them. The next year he had a great many little trees, which he gave away. People came from miles around, and he gave them the trees. For a long time the results of his coming to Vermilion County were very evident. There was a great quantity of peaches raised in the neighborhood, and all the peach orchards are not yet gone. Mr. Nesbitt, living near Catlin, is at present the most extensive fruit grower in the county.

The word "corn" has been in use from earliest times. At first it signified a grain, as we use the term today when speaking of a single kernel, seed or particle. Later the name was applied to all cereal crops in general, and in

Europe this custom still prevails. It was not until during the early colonization of America that the name "corn" was legally accepted in its present application. In one of the counties of Pennsylvania a man had been indicted for stealing so many bushels of corn, and in course of the conflict his counsel took exception to the word as it was used, on the ground that this was not the perfect description of Indian corn. The exception, however, was overruled by court, who thus decided that corn was the established name for Indian corn. The old name maize is still used to some extent. It is a later construction from ma-his, a Haytian word. We also find the term "Indian corn" used considerably, even in the present day.

Some authorities claim that corn is of eastern origin, and to substantiate this statement they have attempted to show that the cereal, was mentioned in ancient Chinese literature before Columbus discovered America. Some of our most eminent botanists, however, have very successfully refuted this argument, and they have been able to show conclusively that America is the original home of corn. Traditions have it that as early as the year 1002 A. D. Karlsefn, and again in 1006 Thorfin, both Norsemen, each saw and brought home in their ships ears of corn from what is now Massachusetts. But stronger evidence is presented in the ears of corn which have been found with mummies of Mexico and Peru. We know, too, that Columbus discovered corn when he first landed on American soil.

As to the distribution of corn in Europe, it is claimed by good authority that Columbus took it back to Spain with him on the return from his great voyage. From Spain it was taken into France and Italy, although we know that its spread must have been very slow, for it was nearly a hundred years after the discovery of America before we find any mention made of corn in France. From Italy corn was taken into Switzerland and Hungary, and from Hungary to Austria and eastern Europe. From Switzerland it was taken into the valley of the Rhine, and from Portugal corn was taken into Asia.

Indian corn entered into the mythological and religious ceremonies of the Indians, both of North and South America, long before they were disturbed by civilization. When the white men came to live among them, they told them how to select the best ears for seed and how and when to plant it. To be sure their methods were very crude; since the land was covered by a dense forest, it was necessary first that this should be cleared away. When spring came the squaw, who did most of the work, proceeded to plant the corn. With a sharp stick she made holes in the ground about four feet apart, and after putting a fish or several crawfish into each hole, she planted the seed on top of this and covered it with soil. The fish were used as fertilizer. In the fall the corn was picked and stored away in pits dug in the ground. Such, then, were the methods adopted we are led to believe by our forefathers when they began farming on our native soil.

The first successful attempt of the English to cultivate corn in North America was in 1608, along the James river, in Virginia. A year or two later it was said that as much as thirty acres of corn were cultivated there. It is recorded that as early as 1650 corn, to the extent of 600 bushels, was exported from Savannah, and in 1770 the amount exported from this same place had reached 13,598 bushels. However, during the period intervening numerous exportations were recorded, ranging from 10,000 to 250,000 bushels, so we know that even at this early date, more corn was raised than was needed for home consumption. In 1770 the total amount exported from the colonies was 578- 349 bushels, and in 1800 2,032,435 bushels were exported. By this we see that the development during this period was very rapid, at least that considering the fact that agricultural implements were little known, and that there were no transportation facilities to speak of. The main increase in production was the result of increased acreage.

As to the origin of the corn plant itself, some botanists have endeavored to show that Teosinte, a rank growing forage plant, is its progenitor. Teosinte is a native Mexican plant, and is called by Watson "Zea canina." Recently Montgomery has expressed a similar theory. He states that corn and Teosinte may have had a common origin, and he intimates that in the process of evolution it is probable that the pistillate spikes in Teosinte were developed from the lateral branches of a tassel-like structure, while corn was developed from the central spike. Further, he suggests that the progenitor of these plants was a large much-branched grass, each branch being terminated by a tassel-like structure.

From the natural characteristics of the corn plant we may safely conclude that the distribution of the species was necessarily of an artificial nature, for the seed has no wing or appendage, which would permit it to be blown about by the wind. Furthermore, the perishable nature of the seed was directly opposed to nature's methods of scattering the species. It seems safe to assume that the species that exist today have either been developed by man and perpetuated by this same agency or that man came upon the plant soon after its useful development, and at once began to cultivate it. There are at present eight species of the genus Zeas.

In 1814 there were only five varieties of corn (Zea Mays) known, j. e., Big Yellow, Big White, Little Yellow, Little White and Gourdseed. Both the large and small varieties were flinty, corresponding to the old type of flint corn. The gourd-seed corn represents perhaps the first step in the development of the dent corn of today. It was characterized by a deep pointed soft kernel of either white or yellow color. By 1840 nearly forty varieties were known. These were based primarily upon color, size of ear, and density of kernel. At least one of our present standard breeds had its origin previous to that time, and others soon followed.

Corn production in Vermilion County was possibly first practiced by the Indians, but it is surely correct that the first white settlers that came to this county brought with them some of the improved types of corn that were being" raised in the states from which they moved. During the earliest days, about all the corn produced was for home consumption, and for feeding livestock, as there were at that time no means of transportation, but as the years went by and civilization began to make its advance beyond the Wabash river, then there were great quantities of corn raised, and either hauled to Eugene and Perrysville and put aboard boats, or fed to livestock and the animals driven on foot

About this time the great possibilities of the eastern and central parts of Illinois, including Vermilion County, for the production of corn and livestock became apparent to the financial interests of the east, and within a few years new lines of transportation were brought to this country, in the form of the Wabash and Illinois Central railroads. This meant a new market, better prices, and consequently a larger acreage along the new lines of railroads, and the corn production was greatly increased during this period.

The country was what is termed raw prairie. This meant miles and miles of swamps covered with a heavy growth of wild grass, and at this time there was no drainage at all, therefore only the higher portions of the fields were farmed. These swamps and wild prairies were the homes of countless thousands of wild fowl, such as geese, ducks, prairie chickens and others, and while they furnished food for the families, still they did a great amount of damage to the growing crops. The geese would pull up the young wheat and oats in the spring, while the prairie chickens would scratch out the corn planted in May and June, injuring the stand in the field, and these pests with the adverse weather conditions, poor farming implements and with the undrained soil, made corn production anything but a pleasure.

Not before 1850 were any distinctive types of corn produced, nor was any thought given to establish a breed of corn, as was practiced in livestock, and not until 1893 was it found to be possible to breed corn on scientific lines, and to get results that were anticipated. From 1850 to 1900 the farmers of Vermilion County were very extensively engaged in livestock farming, consequently raised a greater percentage of yellow corn than white, as the yellow varieties were preferred for feeding cattle and other livestock, as most varieties of yellow corn contain a higher percentage of protein, the muscle-building and fattening constituent of the kernel. Some very superior varieties of yellow corn were developed during this period, in this and adjoining counties and states, such as Reid's Yellow Dent, Learning, Riley's Favorite, Golden Eagle, Legal Tender, Cattle King and others, while the white varieties that were developed along with the yellow varieties, were Boone County White, Silvermine, White Superior, Silver King and others. The white varieties have received in the last ten years more attention than in all the preceding years; as with the decline of the cattle industry in the corn belt, simultaneously was the decline in the production of yellow corn, and at the present time 75 per cent of all the corn produced in the corn belt is white corn.

To show with what persistent efforts some of our forefathers toiled with this plant, an extract from an account of an old settler will suffice: "We began to breed this corn a short time after my father brought the seed from Kentucky in 1848. I used the best ears that I could find in the field in the fall by going through and selecting the earliest and best-shaped ears free from mixed grains and at the same time being careful to get ears that grew out and down from the stalk, so as to turn the water out of the ears, as you will know all ears that grow straight up with the stalk are filled at the butt in the fall with water and spoiled, and also very hard to shuck, and never grow even on the stalk. I will say that it took me ten years to get the corn to send out ears at an even height and to grow on a small shank with just enough husk to cover the corn and no more. I was fifteen years getting rid of the red ears, and somewhat longer in getting rid of white cobs. We make our selection of seed in the fall as we gather, so we can get the best ears from the stoutest stalks, the proper height from the ground, and also those not having too much shuck."

If more of our farmers of the county would pay the attention to their corn crops that this man did, the advancement and resulting profits would have been greater. It was the common practice years ago and in a few cases is still being followed, that the corn field was the same year after year, as it was thought that these soils were inexhaustible. I have been told by men of mature years that the fields of this county were planted to corn for a period of forty consecutive years, to their knowledge. Is it any wonder that at the present time the general average of the corn belt is so low? These fields are being put into a general rotation with oats and clover and are beginning to give better results.

It is now about fourteen years since investigations with a view to the improvement of corn by breeding began, but before entering into an explanation of the scientific part of corn breeding as practiced by a few in Vermilion County and the state as well, it would be advisable to mention some of the important elements that go to make up the structure of the corn plant, assist in its growth, and the elements of plant food that enter into the consruction of the perfect stalk and ear of corn.

The structure of the body of the corn plant (Zea Identata) the corn of the corn belt and the corn of commerce, is composed of many minute cells. These cells vary in shape and size in different parts of the same plant, and in different plants. The cell is filled with a living material called protoplasm. The greater part of protoplasm is cytoplasm, a colorless material of granular character. In addition to the cytoplasm, the nucleus or governing portion of the protoplasm is generally located in the center of the cell. Xucleoplasm forms the major part of the nucleus, although the vital principle contained therein is the chromatin. Cells multiply, that is, development takes place at the growing point, by the process of cell division. Cellulose, a firmer material, constitutes the cell wall, which is usually very thin. Root growth takes place at a point just back of the cap, known as the growing point. The tip, which is pushed through the soil by the constant addition of cells at the growing point, is made up of harder cells and acts as a protection to that point. As it wears away, new cells are supplied from behind by the growing point.

Corn, which is merely a giant form of grass, has a fine, fibrous root system like all members of the grass family. The root system is not characterized by any tap root such as is found in clover. In the early stages the roots develop laterally. Thirty days after planting, the roots from adjacent stalks meet and interlace, and most of the roots will be found within the first eight inches of the surface of the soil, and very few will be found to have penetrated to the depth of twelve inches. Six inches from the hill the main roots will be found at a depth of 2^2 inches, while midway between the hills they will be found only 414 inches from the surface of the soil. The latter point should be es- pecially noted, for it is a strong argument in favor of shallow cultivation. It is a known fact that about from fifty to sixty days after planting, or the last cultivation, the roots have spread three and one-half feet from the stalk each way, and to a depth of two feet, and form a complete network of roots all over the field. The secondary root appears about the time of "laying by," the time when the summer winds begin to jostle the corn plants. In trying to support themselves, these roots are sent out.

These roots usually appear on the first and second nodes above ground, and they act as guys and stays, and from 22 to 28 appear at each node. If the weather is stormy and the corn has a tendency to blow over, these roots grow very rapidly.

We will pass over the structure of the plant, as a whole, the stalk leaves, and leaf development, and take up the flower or tassel part of the plant. Corn is a monecious plant, that is, having both male and female flowers on the same plant but in different places. From a botanical point of view, the words male and female, as applied to plants, are incorrect and should be called staminate and pistillate flowers, but we will use the first terms, as they seem to convey a more direct meaning.

The time of blossoming depends upon the time of planting, early or late varieties, seasonal influences and soil conditions. The male flowers are found in the tassels, arranged in the form of a panicle. There are two single flowers in each spikelet, while each single flower has its own set of inner bracts. Each flower has three stamens mounted on filaments that, as the pollen matures, lengthen and push out the polles sacks or anthers to be caught in the breeze. The anthers split along one side allowing the pollen grains to fall out and be wafted to other stalks, where they find lodgment on the silks of ears other than their own. These pollen grains are very small and buoyant, and each tassel contains from 25,000,000 to 50,000,000. This excess of pollen is necessary because of the loss of so many grains which are lodged about the stalk and which fall to the ground.

The female or pistillate flowers are borne on a hardened spike or cob, which is produced on a branch coming from a node on the main stem. At first the leaf sheath covers and protects the outgrowth, but it soon appears above the sheath and the corn is said to be shooting. In a short time the husks open at the end and the silks appear. The outer end of each silk is often split, and is covered with very short hairs, which, together with a sticky or mucilaginous secretion present, aids in collecting pollen grains. The remainder of the silk to its attachment is tubular and is attached to the summit of the ovary or kernel, which is held in two sets of bracts and encloses within its walls a single ovule. There is but one silk for every ovary, and there are from 800 to 1,200 ovaries on each spike or cob.

Corn is a cross pollinated plant. Nature, in her effort to accomplish this, sends out the tassels as many as seven days before the silks appear on the shoot below. This character is taken advantage of in mating ears in the breeding block. When a pollen grain falls upon the stigma of a silk, the moisture there present, and the heat of the summer, causes it to germinate. The contained nuclei of the germinated pollen grain passes down through the canals that form the center of the silk to the base or place of attachment on the cob, and there fertilization takes place and the foundation for the new kernel is formed. The silks at the butt of the ear are the first to appear, and the first as a rule to be pollinated, while the tip kernels are the last to be fertilized, consequently the complete fertilization of the tip kernels of the ear depends on the continuance of good weather, and the late tasseling of nearby stalks in the same field. Warm, balmy weather with a slight breeze is ideal for the transfer of corn pollen. Dashing rains at this season of the year wash the pollen from the tassel and a moist atmosphere prevents the grains from floating about. The developing kernel is fed from within the cob by a single duct that passes, in its course through the cob, between the soft white cellular pith and the woody portion, and enters a passageway through this woody portion to the base of the kernel.

The first period of growth of the kernel includes what is commonly referred to as the milk stage. Kernels in the milk are very sweet, due to the presence of sugar, which has not yet been transformed into storage starch. The protein, ash and oil are deposited in the germ before the endosperm or body of the kernel is filled out. Later the endosperm surrounding the germ is packed full of starch. Much of this material has been held in readiness in the stalk and is now deposited in the grain. The entire kernel is covered by a thin membranous layer called the tegmen, overlain by a tough coat called testa. This union forms what is termed the bran of wheat, and the hull of corn.

Germination is the resumption of growth of the young plant which lies within the seed. This young plant is the embryo or germ. The portion which is to produce the stem and the leaves lies toward the crown of the kernel, and is called the plumule. The portion which is the first root, lies toward the tip of the kernel and is called the radicle. The conditions of germination are : first, vitality ; second, moisture ; third, proper temperature, and fourth, oxygen. Take away any one of these four factors, and life will not awake from its slumber. The vitality of the kernels of corn is ruined by continued freezing or excessively high temperature. However, if corn has been thoroughly dried out before freezing weather arrives, then the germ of the kernel will not be injured by any amount of freezing.

Moisture in plants has four distinct functions in germination. It softens the covering of the seed, penetrates the minute cells of the seed coat, enters the large cells within, and by swelling them causes the entire seed to increase in size and ruptures the seed covering. Kernels of corn placed in water at a temperature of 70 degrees F. will absorb 15 per cent of their original weight in 52 hours. Kernels of corn having a large amount of flinty starch and horny gluten which acts as a sealing wax, require more time for germination than corn of a softer nature, and this accounts for the rotting of immature kernels when placed in the ground early in the spring, at which time it is cold and wet.

Moisture dissolves plant food and carries it to the growing embryo. A continual supply of available nutriment is demanded by the young plant, and the presence of water insures its transportation to every growing point.

Moisture also aids in the chemical and biological changes. By experiments, it has been determined that corn will germinate as low as 48 degrees F., and in as high a temperature as 115 degrees, but the optimum temperature is 93. Duting the month of May and the last two weeks of April, of 1907 and 1908, the writer took the temperature of the ground three inches under the surface at 2 o'clock every afternoon, for the planting and germinating period of corn, and found the temperature in 1907 to be 68 degrees, while the following year, 1908, the temperature was 74.1 degrees, as an average of the six weeks. It will be remembered that the percentage of stand in 1907 was very low, while in 1908 it was just the reverse, and the excessively low temperature was the cause of so much corn rotting in the ground before it became warm enough to cause germination. Cold, wet, mucky soils which exclude the warmer surface air, produce a weak plant and feeble advancement.

Oxygen is present in the seed, both in a free and a combined state ; but this supply is insufficient for germination. The inhalation of this vital element is followed by the oxidation of the constituents stored in the seed and a consequent evolution of energy. With the intaking of oxygen there is a comparable outgoing of carbon dioxide gas. The principle upon which the tilling of the snil lies, is in the assistance of nature. A soil impenetrable to air resists the processes which bring about rapid and substantial growth. The unhealthy appearance of corn on poorly drained soils is usually considered to be due to too much water, when it is really the lack of oxygen. Corn, when planted very deep in the early spring, is very slow in germinating, due to the fact that at this depth the temperature is exceedingly low, and the oxygen is excluded. Corn, at 80 degrees, will germinate nicely in four days, while in well prepared soil in the early spring, the young plant will not show above the ground before ten to twelve days.

It is hardly necessary that we take up the methods of improved cultivation as practiced at the present time, as there are several good methods of producing a fine crop of corn. We will all agree, however, that there has been great advancement made in the manner of cultivating a crop of corn, as compared to the days twenty years ago. While this has been brought about largely by the use of improved machinery, the facts in the preceding pages have given us a better understanding why the fields should be prepared as they are now, and why the corn should be cultivated in the manner that it is, in order that we obtain the great yields that a number of the more progressive farmers are receiving.

Not a great many years ago was the fact known, that corn was susceptible to improvement by breeding, and the honor of this discovery belongs to the Illinois Experiment Station at Urbana, 111. The investigations that were started in 1896 at the Illinois station, have included the breeding of corn for increased yield, for improved quality, and for a high and low protein content, and high and low oil content. It has been clearly established that corn can be bred for increased power to yield, as well as many other characteristics, as may be desired. Within the last few years the progressive seed corn growers of Illinois united themselves into the world's first seed corn breeders' association and began breeding corn on a commercial scale. One of the most important improvements that has thus far been made in the system of corn breeding is that which relates to the prevention of inbreeding. The inbreeding corn is controlled by the method in which the corn is planted in the breeding plot.

The breeding plot is a small field of ground containing from three to five acres, isolated from all other corn fields, to prevent the grains of pollen from any other variety of corn, mixing with that of the breeding plot. The field is planted in rows about thirty rods in length. Each row is planted with seed from a separate ear, using only one-half of the kernels on the ear. The performance record of the plants from each individual seed ear is observed and* accurately measured. It thus becomes possible to base our subsequent seed selected upon the performance records of the progeny from individual mother ears.

In this system of planting we are confronted by the problem of self-pollination and of close pollination. In order to prevent this deteriorating influence in successful corn breeding, we detassel the alternate halves of each row ; that is, we go through the breeding plots just at the time the tassels are making their appearance, before the pollen is matured, and pull out, not cut out, the tassels from the stalks of the east half of one row and the west half of the row adjoining, and so on, until all the rows are thus treated.

It is necessary to do this work at the proper time, and at intervals of every three or four days, till all the tassels have made their appearance. The ears of the detasseled stalks will thus be fertilized by pollen from stalks produced by seed other than its own.

This method absolutely prohibits self-pollination or close pollination of the future seed which is so destructive to good results in plant breeding of any kind. By self-pollination is meant the transfer of pollen from the male flower, the tassel of the corn plant, to the female flower, the silk of the same plant, and by close pollination is meant the transfer of pollen from the male flower of one plant to the female flower of another plant in the same row, both of which grew from kernels from the same ear. This method of detasseling insures cross pollination and markedly increases the yield of succeeding crops.

Within the last few years a new phase of corn breeding has been put into practice by the experiment stations and a few of the more scientific members of the corn breeders' association. This is the direct crossing of two stalks of corn or what is termed hand pollination. We know that when a perfect ear is fertilized, that it consists of several hundred kernels that were fertilized by pollen grains from possibly a hundred or more stalks. Therefore there is no record as to the sire of an ear of corn in any of the methods of corn breeding so far, and no methods have been adopted to show that the male parentage can be controlled, other than by the hand pollination method. This is an exceedingly interesting and difficult operation, and in order to obtain results, the greatest care must be exercised.

In the breeding plot we select the two most promising rows that were planted with seed from the preceding season's high yielding strains, and in each row we select the two best individual stalks to be found, stalks that are as near our ideal as possible. The tassel of one is covered with a silk bag, while the young shoot or ear on the other stalk is covered with another silk bag. These bags are put on before the silks make their appearance, and before the pollen has begun to fall off the tassel. About three days later, or after a part of the pollen has fallen off the tassel into the bag, this bag is removed, the pollen carefully put into a small pan with a tight cover, and the bag replaced on the tassel. The pan with the pollen is then taken over to the stalk having the silk bag on the ear. Upon removing this bag it will be found that the young silks have begun to make their appearance, and have protruded beyond the end of the husks. An umbrella is held closely over this ear while the crossing is being made to exclude all foreign pollen. The pollen in the pan is now dusted gently over the silks of this ear, and owing' to the mucilaginous secretions on the silks, the grains of pollen readily adhere to all the silks that are beyond the husks of the young shoot. The bag is then replaced and the same operation is performed every other day for three crossings or until all the silks show that they have been fertilized. This then gives a direct cross between two individuals as in livestock, and is the only method where both parents are under control. These ears that are thus treated are planted the following year in. a separate isolated breeding plot, ear to the row system, performance record kept from this field we receive the highest yielding seed possible.

These ears are kept separate from all other corn and labeled with the record of their breeding. The selection of seed from the detasseled rows of the breeding ground is the next important step.

Just at the time that the corn plant has reached its zenith of growth be^ fore killing frosts, and just as the ears are ripening, the detasseled halves of each row are inspected, and seed ears are selected for the following year. No ear is eligible for breeding unless it has been produced under normal circumstances; so every ear that is selected is taken from a hill of corn containing three stalks, all producing ears. The breeding ears selected must be grown on stalks that stand up well, showing wind-resistant qualities. The ear must be about the right height from the ground, attached to the stalk with a short shank, that allows it to hang point downward, and must be the best developed ear in every respect, in the hill. These ears are all numbered, showing from what row and strain they are taken, and put into the seed house, which is artificially heated, where there is an excellent circulation of air, in order that they may thoroughly dry. After all the breeding ears have been selected, the entire field is husked, each row to itself, and the yield individually recorded.

The champion rows are then determined, taking into consideration the yield the average weight per ear, the number of barren stalks and suckers found in each row. The next year having preserved one-half of the seed of each mother ear, a number of the best producing rows are determined, and the remaining kernels are planted in an isolated plot of ground where they are free to crosspollinate, and so combine the best characteristics of the high yielding rows. From this field seed is obtained to plant the multiplying ground the following year, which in turn furnishes enough seed for the commercial fields.

During the early spring every ear is tested for germination, then they are weighed, measured, shelled and the proportion of corn to cob determined. The number of rows, character of dent, size of germ, and shape of kernel are all recorded, the ear given a register number in the pedigree record, showing from what strain it had been produced, and then it is ready for planting.

One of the essentials in corn breeding is uniformity. However, this should not be carried too far. If any one point receives too much attention, other desirable characteristics will be sacrificed and a decreased yield will be the result. The desirable characters that should be perpetuated in breeding corn are early maturity, well shaped ear, uniform type of kernel, the ear placed at the right height on the stalk, and the stalk with wind-resisting qualities. Too much attention should not be given to the well filled ear, except for show purposes, and only those characters that tend to increase the yield of marketable corn should receive the greatest attention.

While there has been great advancement made in the production of corn within the last half century, there has been a comparable advancement in the management of the soil. Where our forefathers farmed is now the impoverished lands, the higher parts of the fields, but with the advent of the steam dredge, and drain tile, the swamps that were, are now our fertile fields, producing the large yields and commanding the highest price of all the farming lands.

However, these lands will begin to lose their fertility, and the great problem now confronting the farmers of Vermilion County as well as the corn belt, is how to maintain the fertility of these soils, and to make them better, richer in plant food, that they may produce the amounts of grains necessary to feed the ever-increasing population of this great country.

The sheep industry in Vermilion County had its beginning in a very small way. Most of the pioneers owned a few sheep, from the wool of which their clothing was made. These flocks grew as time went on, but they were used for home consumption, and not until the sixties, was there much shipping done. The nearest market of any consequence was Philadelphia; at that time five hundred sheep would break the market of Chicago. Farmers along the streams, in the wooded sections, experienced a good deal of trouble from milk-sick, or trembles, as it was commonly called, and sheep could not be handled in numbers ; but in the south part of the county and on the west prairies the advantages were better.

In 1848, James Milliken came to this county from Pennsylvania, and in about 1850 located on what is now known as the Thompson farm, south of Fithian, and probably was the first man to engage in the sheep business in Vermilion County. He continued successfully in this business for several years and here made the nucleus for his immense fortune. In 1858 he moved to Decatur. In 1900 he founded the James Milliken University of Decatur. In 1909 he died, a wealthy man and great philanthropist.

In about 1856, Peleg Spencer engaged in the sheep business on a farm where now is Central Park. His operations in this business were brought to a close rather suddenly, after several years of successful management, by some local capitalists discovering- a flaw in his title to the land, and who took steps to secure it for themselves without his knowledge. This so discouraged him that he gave up his business and soon became a bankrupt and ruined man. John Cole of Ridge Farm, an early pioneer, later leased this farm and used it in connection with his land at Ridge Farm for the handling of sheep. Mr. Cole enjoyed a thriving business during the Civil war. Harrison Jones and Jno. E. Cooper of Georgetown, were leading sheep men of that section. Like Mr. Cole, their sheep numbered about two thousand. These men continued in this business many years, but finally almost abandoned it, conditions arising that made the outlook unfavorable. At the present time and for several years there has been no activity in this industry in that locality.

In 1862 Edwin and Edward Foreman brought five thousand sheep from Sandusky, Ohio, and located three miles west of Newtown, but remained there but five years, the marshy condition of that section only encouraged disease of the feet and rendered the business unprofitable. They moved to Champaign County near Penfield, where -they continued the business successfully many years.

In 1864, Willy Fowler came to this county from Marion County, Ohio, with four thousand sheep and located on Pilot Grove Farm, a beautiful body of 4,000 acres of land, having natural drainage. This farm was well adapted to the grazino- of sheep, and Mr. Fowler saw opportunities for a great business here and decided to remain permanently in this location, and in 1868 bought the farm. At this time the price of wool reached its zenith, and for two years Mr. Fowler sold 12,000 Ibs. of Ai wool for 98 cents per pound, many of t*he fleeces weighting 24 Ibs. each.

A few years later there were several men engaged in the sheep industry, but their flocks were limited to a few hundred head. Jacob and Samuel Frees and Mack Eyestone, along the extreme western border of the county were, quite successful. The Freeses were breeders of fine Merino sheep and produced many prize winners. Mr. Eyestone, now a resident of Urbana, relates an interesting experience, connected with his early handling of sheep. He drove a small band to Chicago, but found absolutely no market, and was herding them on the flats south of the city, when he had an opportunity to trade his sheep for a frog pond and did so, feeling that he had practically given them away, but that frog pond today is worth a hundred thousand dollars. Others who handled sheep in bands of a few hundred were Jno. Smith (Eng.) of Potomac, Thomas Dye of Armstrong, John R. Thompson of Fithian and George Allen of Allerton, an Englishman who engaged in the breeding of fine Shropshires. He imported the male sheep from England. He was very successful and became famous among stock men for his prize winners, capturing first premiums at many fairs throughout this and adjoining states, for several years. He operated in this county from about 1872 to 1890. He later moved to Nebraska.

Many disadvantages attended the first few years of the sheep business in this county; wolves were numerous then; it was necessary to build scarecrows and corral the sheep at night and herd them through the day; water was obtained for all stock by digging shallow wells, perhaps six or seven feet deep, and from these men would dip the water into troughs ; it required only a short time to empty a well, but it would fill again in a few hours. Where there was much stock, a great many of these wells were necessary, and were often dug within a few rods of each other. Then, too, the railroad facilities were poor, the Wabash Railroad being the only one that crossed this county. This, in many cases, necessitated the hauling of wool and driving of sheep many miles to a shipping point ; but nevertheless, it was a very profitable business, as prices were high. But prosperity in this industry was destined to be of short life. Disease crept in through the bringing into this county of sheep with foot rot, scabbies and diseases of the head, rendering the business unprofitable. For a time owners struggled with these diseases, which were more disastrous than snowstorms or the ravages of wild animals, but as little was known then about combating with them, the business was abandoned for a few years and stock men devoted themselves to the raising and feeding of cattle, which, though much more desirable to handle, have never been the money-makers that sheep have been. After a few hard, freezing winters, which was supposed to eradicate these disease germs from the soil, the sheep business was again undertaken and more extensively, as advantages had materially improved. Shipping facilities were better, markets nearer, the old dug well and digging bucket had been discarded for the windmill and tubular well, with its inexhaustible supply of water, while very expensive then, it was welcomed by all progressive farmers and is today the popular mode of providing water for all purposes. There were days and weeks in summer that the wind did not blow, then men took the pump handles and bravely toiled through the livelong day in the broiling sun, scarcely able to satisfy the clamoring animals about them. Quite different is it now since the invention of the gasoline engine, which all large stockmen have and which can be hauled from one field to another, and attached to the pump, quickly providing water for the immense droves of many thousands of sheep, now common here.

Then when shearing time comes this same gasoline engine is placed in the great wool barns, and, attached to a sheep-shearing device (a modern invention) furnishes the power for a dozen men who have only to guide the clippers, quickly relieving the sheep of its beautiful fleece, without torture. So much for progressive America. No wonder our young men are amassing fortunes in this industry, when we consider their advantages over the pioneer stockmen, being within a few miles from shipping points and a few hours from the best stock market in the world today, with a report of the same at their doors daily.

True, there has never been a time when disease among sheep has been totally unknown, but the methods of treating them are so much improved and the quarantine laws so rigid that dealers feel a much-needed protection.

There seems to be a tendency among sheep to develop that heretofore dreaded disease, Scabbies, but the ever thoughtful Uncle Sam has provided careful inspection at all important stock yards and western sheep are absolutely required to go through the dipping vats, and in cases of herds from the home fields, if there is a suspicion of this disease, they are subjected to the same treatment. This careful attention reduces the horrors of this disease to a minimum. Scabbies is a winter pest, while foot-rot is more prevalent in spring and summer and is more to be dreaded, as it is both contagious and infectious and up to the present time is pronounced incurable. For this disease there is now a strict quarantine law and for animals so afflicted there is no market. About the

In about 1898 there developed here a new disease called intestinal worm ; this attacked only the lambs and was very fatal. This, coupled with the increasingly high price of land has led to a complete change in the sheep business in Illinois.

Methods of handling sheep too have changed. Formerly no attempt was made to house the animals or their coarse feed, but in these days of high prices there must be no waste, so huge sheds, with water piped into them, are built, covering sometimes an acre of ground and with a capacity for ten thousand sheep, with roughness stored above. These protect the feed as well as the flocks from heavy storms, thus avoiding the shrinkage which always follows extreme exposure.

Very, very few sheep are now raised here but many thousands are bought from the ranges of the great sheep producing west, or from the city markets, shipped here, fattened, then shorn of their fleece and marketed.

U. G. Fowler introduced the feeding of western sheep in this county, which has proven so much more profitable than the raising of sheep, that it is the general custom now and each year ushers new men into the business. In 1903 Mr. Fowler marketed 17,000 sheep from the Pilot Grove Farm; the same year he had two hundred sheep killed by wolves. Until then there had not been a wolf seen for years. In 1909 one was killed near Penfield, which shows that they may not be extinct here yet.

Among the young men those most active in the sheep business for the last ten or fifteen years are U. G. Fowler, D. M. Fowler, Ed. Stevens, G. M. Mc- Cray, Fred Endicott and Arthur Bass.

The profits in the sheep industry have varied with the changes in the tariff on wool. There is nothing that the farmer handles that responds so quickly to tariff disturbance as does wool. From 1896 to 1900 the business was very unprofitable and wool was stored and held for better prices which came in 1900. There has always been fluctuations in the markets produced by supply and demand, but these were never sufficient to completely destroy all profit and it is becoming recognized more and more that the sheep industry is the best paying business that the farmer can combine with the tilling of the soil. From the point of fertilization alone it stands preeminent.