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SEED CATALOGUE AND GARDEN GUIDE.

THE GOSPEL OF

GOOD SEED CORN

It Is not many years ago that farmers hesitated greatly about changing their seed corn, and
even then they would only exchange with a nearby neighbor and would no more think of buying
seed corn than they would think of going to the city and buying bread for their family use.
While our seed business was started in 1865, still the sale of.seeds was for many years confined
almost exclusively to Vegetable, Flower and Grass Seeds. We could not persuade farmers to
buy Seed Wheat, Oats, Seed Corn, or any other variety of farm seeds and it was few indeed who
were willing to send off even 100 miles to secure their supplies of garden seeds. It is only during
the past dozen years that farmers have really awakened to the need of securing the very best
quality of seeds obtainable and a wonderful increase in yield and value of farm crops has been
the result.
The nine varieties illustrated on the opposite side of this shMt were all either originated or
introduced by the Iowa Seed Co., and we have every reason to be proud of them.
All of these have become quite prominent and are listed by most of the leading seedsmen in
this country and also by seed dealers in Australia, New Zealand and the parts of Europe where
Corn can be grown, and they are considered the best in their class. The following table shows
year of introduction and gives short description:
1881 PROFIT CORN.-This is a variety which originated on our seed farms In Madison
county, having been grown there for quite a number of years previously. It was claimed at that time that it would produce more bushels of shelled corn per acre than any other corn
in existence and it held it's reputation until the introduction of our Iowa Silver Mine.
1892 IOWA GOLD MINE CORN.-This is beyond question the deepest grained, smallest
cobbed, Yellow Field Corn in the World, It is early; ear of medium size, pure golden
yellow, and yields a large crop. Has proven especially popular with customers throughout
Northern Iowa, and it is claimed to be of the highest feeding value of any corn. For high shelling percentage it has never been excelled.
1893 EARLY LONGFELLOW DENT Is In a class by Itself. It was carefully bred up and
kept in the hands of a farmer In
Johnson Co., 1a., for many years but we had
been watching the Corn, and purchased the
stock. It has the longest ear of any variety of
Corn that we know of. In a good season the
ears will average about 12 inches In length
and we have had quite a number which measured
15 to 16 inches long. The grain Is rath-
er shallow but It is a very early variety and
it Is safe to plant it almost anywhere that
Pride of the North can be grown.
1894 STAR LEAMING.-About l0 years
previous to this date, the Leaming
Corn had been Introduced, but the stock was
not pure and it had been allowed to deterior-
ate. One of our growers in Keokuk county,
Iowa, had, however, not only kept the stock
pure but had improved it from the origina-
tor's strain, not only in color and type, but
in uniformity of size and shape of ears. It
is of a lighter, more uniform color and free
from the square, chubby grains attip of ears.
1895 IOWA SIVER MINE CORB.-For
eight years one of our best seed corn
growers in central Illinois had been selecting
an unnamed white corn in his garden and
small field plots and had secured a variety
so far superior to the older sorts as to en-
title it to front rank. It is by all odds the
purest, most productive and most profitable
variety of Corn grown. It is still generally
recognized to be the best variety of White
Seed Corn ever introduced IIond the largest
yielder of any regardless of color.
•
1896 LENOCHER'S HOMESTEAD.-
Tbis variety originated with Mr. G.
F. Lenocber. of Dallas county, who had been breeding it up for many years previous It
gained a great reputation for productiveness by winning tbe Iowa Homestead first Prize with
a ·yield of 345 bushels of corn on three acres, in their contest of .1891, The color, however,
showed some variation and Mr. Lanocher selected still further until now appears to be the
handsomest and deepest grained red corn in existence.
1900 FARMERS' RELIANCE:-There has always been a demand for a large eared,
early variety of Corn and tbe Farmers' Reliance which originated on the farm of one
of our best seed growers in Eastern Iowa, fills the bill exactly. Wbile not as large as some of
the later sorts, still it is about double tbe size of Pride of the North and matures 10 about the
same time. Tbe farmer who has to contend with a short season can safely rely on the Farm-
ers'Reliance. It is the· largest early corn or the earliest large corn that we know of.
1905 GOLDEN WES'l:.-This might almost be called a mammoth eared Iowa Gold Mine'
as it resembles that variety in color, shape and depth of gram and has a much larger
ear. It does especially well on rich soil with good culture.
1908 PROSPERITY CORN.-Some prominent corn growers say that in this variety we
ha"e reached tbe climax, it being as near perfection as bas ever been attained or as
is apt to be attained for years to come. It was introduced last Spring, but has everywhere
given excellent results. While this has been a trying season on Corn, it has come out with
fiying colors.

IN CONCLUSION.

You will notice that the above nine varieties include the most desirable early
and main crop varieties and these sorts will be found more fully illustrated and
described on the following pages. They are all thoroughly tested and proven
to be the most profitable III their respective classes for growing in Iowa and
other states of the central corn belt. Besides the above varieties which we have
introduced we grow several other popular kinds and use the same care in
their selection that we use in selecting our own varieties, and we make them
conform to the established type of each variety, so that you can depend on any
stock purchased from us. How's Your Seed Corn? Ifyou are uncertain
about your own seed corn or if you want to change and plant some of the improved sorts you can depend on obtaining the purest and best varieties, carefully
selected, graded and thoroughly tested from IOWA SEED Co., Des Moines, Iowa.